NOAA and Colorado State University issue annual hurricane reports to let planners and the public know what to expect.
Warmer than normal waters in the tropical Pacific generally indicate fewer storms in the Atlantic.
“If the waters are warmer than normal that tends to mean there is more fuel for the developing storms,” said CSU research scientist Philip Klotzbach, who mines the tropical Atlantic for similar clues. “If the atmospheric pressures are lower than normal that tends to mean the atmosphere is more unstable and more conducive for storms to form and intensify.”