Hurricane season begins, with first below-average forecast in a decade

Hurricane season in the Atlantic kicked off Monday, and for the first time in more than a decade, forecasters expect it to be slower than usual.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic kicked off Monday, and, for the first time in more than a decade, forecasters expect it to be relatively slow.

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The below-average forecast is driven by the expectation that a strong El Niño pattern will develop, which is associated with less hurricane formation in the Atlantic. The opposite is true in the Pacific, however, which should have an active season.

Most hurricanes that make landfall in the U.S. form in the Atlantic, where forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predict the year will have just three to six hurricanes (storms are considered hurricanes once winds reach 74 mph) and between eight and 14 named tropical storms.