The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins on June 1, concluding on Nov. 30. On both coasts, most of the intense storms hit during peak season between August and October.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the forecast for the 2024 season on May 23, predicting the season to be 85 percent above normal. NOAA speculates there will be 17 to 25 named storms, of which eight to 13 potentially become hurricanes, including four to seven major hurricanes.
Source: NOAA.gov
FUN FACT
History of How Hurricanes Get Their Names
Initially, hurricanes were named to honor a feast day for a Catholic saint. By the 1950s, the process changed in the United States and hurricanes were assigned female names in alphabetical order. It wasn’t until 1978 this practice was abandoned. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has a list of alphabetical storm names that repeats on a six-year cycle. The names are to be basic and reflect the languages spoken by those in areas most affected: English, Spanish, Dutch and French.
Good news though, if a storm was so destructive that the WMO deems one name may be perceived as insensitive, the name will be removed from the list, such as: Katrina, Ike, Hattie or Opal.
See Live Science’s Hurricane Season 2024: How Long it Lasts and What to Expect for more information.