National forecast for Thursday, August 6
Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean has your FoxCast.
An already active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season that's broken records is about to get supercharged, according to a concerning forecast released on Wednesday.
The tropics are quiet into next week after Tropical Storm Isaias blasted the East Coast, but the key hurricane outlook for the Atlantic basin from the research team at Colorado State University is what really has our attention.
The latest outlook from CSU calls for 24 named storms, 12 of which are expected to become hurricanes, and five becoming major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher with winds greater than 110 mph.
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"We have increased our forecast and now call for an extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season," CSU researchers said on their website. "Sea surface temperatures averaged across the tropical Atlantic are much warmer than normal, and vertical wind shear is well below average."
Colorado State University's 2020 hurricane season forecast now calls for an "extremely active" season, with up to 24 named storms. (NOAA)
The initial season forecast from CSU called for 16 named storms, but the 2020 season ended up producing 9 storms by early August, ahead of the most active part of the season.
The updated forecast from Colorado State University. (Fox News)
If the forecast tallies with the number of named storms, it would bring us to the Greek alphabet, which has not happened since 2005, the year of Hurricane Katrina.
A look at the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season so far. (Fox News)
Government forecasters from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) will release their updated forecast on Thursday as we get into peak season.
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Researchers at CSU advised that as the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents were reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them.
Colorado State University's 2020 hurricane season forecast now calls for an "extremely active" season, with up to 24 named storms. (NOAA)
"They should prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted," the group said.
This 2020 season has been active and record-breaking so far. The ninth named storm this season, Hurricane Isaias, made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., on Monday after it broke the record for the earliest "I" storm in the Atlantic basin.
Oak Island sustained wind and flood damage caused by Hurricane Isaias leaving the streets strewn with debris and covered with more than a foot of sand in areas close to the beach Tuesday, August 4, 2020, in North Carolina. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP)
The storm's wicked winds that triggered tornadoes, downed trees, and floodwaters have left at least 9 dead, including a 5-year-old girl in Pennsylvania.
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"This is the earliest on record that 5 Atlantic named storms have made continental US landfall," tweeted CSU hurricane research scientist Phil Klotzbach.
On July 5, Tropical Storm Edouard become the earliest fifth-named storm on record. Tropical Storm Fay became the earliest sixth-named storm when it formed off the East Coast on July 9.
A look at the named tropical storms so far for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. (Fox News)
Meanwhile, Gonzalo set yet another, continued by Hanna, which went on to be this season's first hurricane and made landfall in Texas.
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While hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov 30, the busiest stretch is from late August through early October.
The peak of hurricane season is approaching. (Fox News)
Forecasters said there's a combination of several climate factors driving the above-normal activity in the Atlantic this year.
The names for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. (Fox News)
The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season includes the names: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.
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