NOAA predicts average hurricane season for 2014

A view of Tropical Storm Amanda, first named storm of the 2014 hurricane season, captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite (Credit: NASA)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects three to six hurricanes this hurricane season, according to the New York Times. Experts at the agency say the forecast is a fairly average one.

El Niño developing in the eastern Pacific Ocean this summer is expected to dampen the number of extreme storms. In the Atlantic, normalizing water temperatures following a period of above-average ones should also drop the number of storms that occur there.

The agency plans to offer new forecasting tools this hurricane season, including regularly updating maps and resources on storm surge events. Though the number of hurricanes is not expected to be high this year, officials say just one destructive storm can make for a very bad season on the ground.

Image: A view of Tropical Storm Amanda, first named storm of the 2014 hurricane season, captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite (Credit: NASA)