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“With the advances made in hardware and computing over the course of the last year, the ability of NOAA scientists to both predict the path of storms and warn Americans who may find themselves in harm’s way is unprecedented,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The devastating hurricane season of 2017 demonstrated the necessity for prompt and accurate hurricane forecasts.”
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center with the help of sophisticated technologies – from next-generation models and satellite data to new and improved forecast and graphical products will enable decision makers and the general public to take action before, during, and after hurricanes by displaying the “earliest reasonable” Arrival Time of Tropical-Storm-Force Winds.
NOAA’s forecasters predict for the upcoming hurricane season a 70-percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms, of which 5 to 9 could become hurricanes, including 1 to 4 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5.)
"Preparing ahead of a disaster is the responsibility of all levels of government, the private sector and the public," said acting FEMA Deputy Administrator Daniel Kaniewski. "It only takes one storm to devastate a community so now is the time to prepare. Stay tuned to your local news and downloads the FEMA app to get alerts, and make sure you heed any warnings issued by local officials.”
In addition to the Atlantic hurricane season outlook, NOAA also issued seasonal hurricane outlooks for the eastern and central Pacific basins. An 80 percent chance of a near- or above-normal season is predicted for both the eastern and central Pacific regions. The central Pacific outlook calls for a 70-percent probability of 3 to 6 tropical cyclones, which includes tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.
