AccuWeather meteorologists predict very active hurricane season

It might be time to start grabbing small amounts of plywood. AccuWeather’s meteorologists are predicting a very active hurricane season for 2021.

While they don’t imagine it will touch the record-breaking season we had last year, which saw 30 named storms and 12 hurricanes making landfall in the United States, the team of tropical weather researchers and forecasters at the forecasting company expected a remarkably busy season. Their outlook calls for anywhere from 16-20 named storms and 7-10 hurricanes. Of the hurricanes, they predict that as many as 5 could be Category 3 storms or higher. Those storms carry sustained winds in excess of 111 mph and can cause extensive damage.

What’s more, a look at the historical record reveals that these overactive hurricane seasons might be the new normal. The last 30 year period had many more named storms per year than the three decades before it and that pattern holds heading back through the last century.

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This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2021.