What’s in Store for the 2024 Hurricane Season?

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When Hurricane Beryl intensified into a Category 5 storm last week, it broke records and left a trail of damage across the Caribbean. The first named hurricane of the season, Beryl is the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, and also the first Category 4 hurricane to form in the Atlantic in the month of June — a portent of what experts say is a hurricane season that will be much more intense than usual. It was also abnormal because of where it formed, farther south and east than is typical for storms of this magnitude. After tearing through the Caribbean and the Yucatán Peninsula, the storm landed in southeast Texas, canceling more than a thousand flights and cutting power for more than two million residents. The storm killed at least 15 people. Hurricane season usually runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, with most storms developing between mid-August and mid-October. A broad swath of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic seaboard of the United States is affected by the storms. If you’re planning to travel during this hurricane season, here’s what you should know. How bad will hurricane season be this year? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an 85 percent chance of a more active than normal season. An average season has about 14 named storms, but researchers at Colorado State University forecast that this year there will be 25, including six hurricanes that are Category 3 or higher.