Government meteorologists say the 2019 hurricane season may be busier than initially expected. That’s because the summer’s weak El Nino weather pattern has faded away.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center said Thursday the Atlantic season looks more active than normal as peak hurricane season begins. Forecasters now expect 10 to 17 named storms. They are saying five to nine of those will become hurricanes, and two to four could turn out to be major ones.
The 2018 hurricane season was above average for activity. There were 15 named storms, eight hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. The season caused more than $50 billion in damages.
In May, meteorologists had forecast a normal 2019 season, with one or two fewer named storms and hurricanes.
Forecaster Gerry Bell says the end of El Nino means more hospitable hurricane conditions. El Nino is the periodic warming of parts of the Pacific. It affects weather worldwide and dampens storm activity.
Hurricane season is June through November. So far, there have been two named storms in 2019, with one hurricane.
Thinking of a stormier season may be frightening, but Psalm 57:2 promises that God is in control and He “fulfills His purpose for me.”
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by. — Psalm 57:1
(Spring Pace, 9, plays in New Orleans as a potential hurricane approaches from the Gulf of Mexico on July 12, 2019. AP Photo)
