What San Antonians need to know this year about hurricane season

SAN ANTONIO — Hurricane season will officially begin on June 1 and the Atlantic is expecting enhanced tropical activity due to change in the long-range pattern in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean.

Sea surface temperatures off the coast of South America will trend cooler in the coming months which will lead to a La Nina Pattern in the Pacific.

This teleconnection impacts weather and climate across the globe including the Atlantic hurricane season. Moreover, this typically creates less wind shear in the Atlantic Ocean helping to fuel thunderstorms and tropical cyclones.

Due to this transition on ocean temperatures, the latest forecast calls for an active season with upwards to twenty three named storms. Eleven of those expected to become hurricanes and five storms over Category 3 status, which is considered major hurricane status.

Just because we call for an active season doesn’t mean each storm will hit land. In fact, most storms that form stay out at sea. However, it only takes one storm to make an active year!

The Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30th.