The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season will likely bring “above normal activity,” according to a season outlook released today by the United States National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration.
The outlook predicts that the hurricane season, which begins June 1, has a 60% chance of being an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a being a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season.
The outlook says that NOAA climate researchers feel 70% confident that this season will bring 13 to 19 named storms (those with winds of 39 mph or higher); and that 6 to 10 of those could become hurricanes (having winds of 74 mph or higher). Three to six of those are predicted to be major hurricanes of category 3, 4 or 5 (with winds of 111 mph or higher.
The BVI community is urged to prepare early for this hurricane season and to maintain a high level of readiness as the Territory remains vulnerable to other hazards throughout the Atlantic Hurricane Season.