The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released their forecast for the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

NOAA's official forecast says this year's hurricane season will likely be below normal. Their forecast calls for 6 to 11 named storms, of which 3 to 6 could become hurricanes, and 0 to 2 of those hurricanes could be major hurricanes (winds over 111 MPH).

With that said, it is important to remember that it only takes one storm to cause significant damage. A quiet season where one storm makes landfall and causes lots of problems is much worse than a very active season where no storms hit the coast.

NOAA's lead forecaster, Dr. Gerry Bell, says,

“The main factor expected to suppress the hurricane season this year is El Niño, which is already affecting wind and pressure patterns, and is forecast to last through the hurricane season. El Niño may also intensify as the season progresses, and is expected to have its greatest influence during the peak months of the season. We also expect sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic to be close to normal, whereas warmer waters would have supported storm development.”

Hurricane season officially starts June 1st and runs through the end of November.

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