GREENSBORO, N.C. — You may feel like we just put the wraps on the wild 2020 hurricane season, but time flies, and we're kicking off the 2021 season now.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, but tropical storms can form outside of the typical "season."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its forecast for the 2021 season a few weeks ago, and yet again, another busy year is expected in the Tropics.
The average number of storms each year is 14, with seven of those becoming hurricanes. The NOAA forecast for 2021 is expected to be busier than average with possibly 13 to 20 named storms, with six to 10 of those becoming hurricanes, and with three to five storms becoming major hurricanes. A major hurricane is one that reaches category three, four, or five strengths.
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Nothing crazy or magical happens when the calendar flips to June, and usually, the month is pretty calm in the tropics. Things start to get busy typically around August or September with peak activity in the tropics in the second week of September.
There are no disturbances or systems to watch in the tropics for now - a sight that we'd like to see continue for a while.
The WFMY Weather Team will keep a close eye on the tropics as we head into the warmer months and keep you updated if anything forms that we should be concerned about.
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