The United States still faces above-average risks of one or more named tropical storms forming in the Atlantic basin, according to an updated forecast from NOAA that’s only slightly less intense than forecasters projected at the June 1 start of hurricane season.
The agency maintains the basin — which includes the Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has renamed Gulf of America — could still see between 13 and 18 named storms before the end of November, with about half reaching hurricane strength.
That’s about the same number of named storms forecast at the start of the season, but NOAA has revised downward the number of storms that could become hurricanes. The latest forecast says the basin could see between five and nine hurricanes by Nov. 30, down from six and 10 hurricanes forecast 10 weeks ago.
The nation also has a 50-50 chance of an above-normal storm season, slightly lower than what was forecast in May.
