Hurricane Season 2018 Not As Bad As 2017: Report

After last summer's hurricane season brought us a flurry of storms, we're finally getting some good news. Colorado State University weather forecasters have again revised their prediction, now forecasting a "below-average" Atlantic hurricane season.

Meteorologists Philip Klotzbach and Michael M. Bell predict 10 named tropical storms, four of which are expected to become hurricanes. The experts released their new forecast on Monday.

"We have decreased our forecast and now believe that 2018 will have below-average activity. The tropical and subtropical Atlantic is currently much colder than normal, and the odds of a weak El Niño developing in the next several months have increased. With the decrease in our forecast, the probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean has decreased as well," the meteorologists said in a statement.

The warming of waters in the central and eastern Pacific, an El Niño, can tear apart developing tropical storms in the Atlantic.

The new forecast is a decrease in the number of hurricanes predicted in April when the experts said seven hurricanes would likely form in an above-average hurricane season. On May 31, the university's Tropical Meteorology Project team called for a "near-average" season, predicting six hurricanes to form.

Subtropical Storm Alberto already formed in May before the start of hurricane season on June 1. The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

This article includes reporting from Patch's Don Johnson.

Article image via NOAA