Canadian Hurricane Centre says active storm season predicted for East Coast

The Canadian Hurricane Centre is predicting an active storm season off the country’s East Coast this year, mainly due to record warm water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.

In a briefing today, meteorologist Bob Robichaud says the water temperatures are also expected to be affected by La Nina, a cooling of surface water temperature in the Pacific Ocean that typically produces more storms in the Atlantic.

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Robichaud says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States is calling for 17 to 25 named storms, with between eight and 13 of those becoming hurricanes and between four and seven becoming major hurricanes.

He says Canadian waters typically see about 35 per cent of the storms that form in the Atlantic Basin, although in any given year that average can vary wildly.

Robichaud says it’s still too early to say how many of the predicted storms could affect Atlantic Canadian communities.

The official hurricane season starts June 1 and runs until Nov. 30.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2024.