To Add Insult to Injury, the 2020 Hurricane Season to Be Above Average

The 2020 hurricane season will be busier than normal, with 16 named storms predicted, eight turning into hurricanes and four growing into major hurricanes, according to scientists at Colorado State University.

According to an news report posted by The Miami Herald, that means three more named storms and hurricanes and two more major hurricanes than the team predicted at this time last year.

The Colorado school’s Department of Atmospheric Science, led by meteorologist Phil Klotzbach, made its announcement Thursday morning.

The reason Colorado State researchers predict an above average 2020 season — at this early date — is due to a “likely lack of El Niño later this summer and into the fall months, said Klotzbach on a Twitter post

September and October are generally the busiest time of the hurricane season. “El Niño generally increases vertical wind shear in the Atlantic, tearing apart hurricanes,” he said.

Last April, the Colorado group predicted that El Niño was forecast to develop in the summer in the Atlantic, and that it could help suppress some storms’ growth.