NOAA releases 1st predictions for 2023 Atlantic hurricane season
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We may be just two days away from the official kickoff to summer but that also means hurricane season is right around the corner.
Ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its first predictions Thursday for what we can expect during the 2023 hurricane season in the Atlantic.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1 and while the Atlantic along the Northeast is quiet for now, the 2023 NOAA Outlook predicts 12-17 named storms. Five to nine are expected to become hurricanes, with one to four possibly forming into major hurricanes.
After three years of La Ninas, 2023 is expected to be an El Nino, which is supposed to inhibit storm development.
La Nina typically favors busier hurricane season in the Atlantic, while El Nino shuts it down, CBS News Philadelphia's Tammie Souza explained.
However, there are some wild cards with record warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic that could help storm development, Souza added. Even though we have the inhibiting El Nino, that record warming sea surface temperature could actually fire up more storms than expected, she said.
Souza said the NEXT Weather team is also keeping an eye on the West African Monsoon season, which is the wet season. If it is less active, that will also inhibit storm development. However, if it is very active, we would see more storms.
NOAA also released the 2023 list of tropical cyclone names.
While there were fewer storms than expected in 2022, with only two major storms, the massive storms that did form -- like Category 5 Hurricane Ian -- are a concern for those along the Jersey Shore. Many in the Philadelphia area can even remember the impact of Hurricane Ida which hit a few years ago.
Overall, the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be close to average, Souza said. Although, it just takes one strong hurricane to destroy an area.
