NEW YORK – Hurricane season 2019 is expected to see up to four major storms form in the Atlantic, a slower summer than last year but one which will still have New Yorkers on edge.
There is no way of predicting if or where those storms will make landfall.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a "near normal" hurricane outlook. That means nine to 15 named storms, of which between four and eight could become hurricanes with winds above 74 mph.
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
They are considered major when the wind speed reaches 111 mph or more.
The annual Atlantic outlook was released Thursday, May 23, a few days before the official start of the hurricane season which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The number of storms is expected to be kept down by the impact of El Nino, the natural phenomenon which is creating higher than normal wind shear in the Atlantic which can keep storm development down.
But the tropical Atlantic is also warmer than normal this year, which usually means high hurricane activity.
The season started early as the short-lived subtropical storm Andrea formed Monday near Bermuda.
Last year's season was considered above-average and saw damaging storms hit the U.S., including Florence and Michael. Though they caused bad weather, there was no direct impact on New York.
Watch below as NOAA's Gerry Bell discusses the 2019 hurricane outlook:
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