Hurricane season is still a couple of months away but Colorado State University’s Tropical Weather and Climate Research Department has released its yearly Atlantic hurricane season outlook.  

The team is predicting an above average season, with higher than usual activity. 

WMFE’s Danielle Prieur spoke with meteorologist Philip Klotzbach about what Central Floridians could expect. 

Atlantic seasonal #hurricane forecast from @ColoradoStateU calls for above-average season: 19 named storms, 9 hurricanes & 4 major hurricanes. Reasons for above-average forecast include predicted lack of #ElNino and warmer than normal subtropical Atlantichttps://t.co/uauRVHEjql pic.twitter.com/7dzsFjQBN9

— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) April 7, 2022

Interview highlights:

On what an “above average” season could look like

“We are forecasting an above normal hurricane season, a total of 19 named storms. Of those 19, nine becoming hurricanes. And of those nine, four becoming major category three, four or five hurricanes.”

On how Floridians should use this forecast

“Certainly, these outlooks aren’t perfect and even if the forecast is perfect, we can’t say you know if we’re forecasting nine hurricanes, if we get nine hurricanes, you could have nine hurricanes and none hit the US. You could have nine hurricanes and four hit the US. There’s just no way to know exactly where these storms are going to make landfall, when they’re going to make landfall. So now’s the time to really get prepared and know what you’re going to do if a storm does threaten your area.”