This Year’s Quiet Hurricane Season Could Still Surprise Us
NOAA is predicting lighter-than-usual hurricane activity in the Atlantic this year. But quiet seasons aren't necessarily silent.
The relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season of 2015 is expected to continue through the rest of the summer and fall. But an otherwise calm season can still produce a monster hurricane capable of inflicting massive damage somewhere between Texas and New England.
It’s happened before.
An intensifying El Niño has brought storm-disrupting weather to the Atlantic this summer. Only three tropical storms have formed, and none have intensified into hurricanes. During an average hurricane season, about ten tropical storms form, with six becoming hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph (119 km/h). On average, two or three hurricanes intensify into major hurricanes with winds exceeding 110 mph (177 km/h).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) thinks a total of
