Forecasters predict higher hurricane possibility

• Back in April, the university's hurricane researchers predicted a below-average season thanks to the El Niño weather pattern.

Typically, El Niño years see fewer tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic due to an increase in upper-level winds that can tear storms apart.

Yes, but: Record warm temperatures across the Atlantic Ocean mean storms will have more fuel to form.

By the numbers: CSU forecasters now predict 18 named storms, nine of them hurricanes and four of them major hurricanes of Category 3 intensity or greater.

• That's more than the seasonal average number of storms (14), hurricanes (seven) and major hurricanes (three) that formed from 1991 to 2020.

Go deeper: NOAA predicts 12 to 17 named storms will form, of which five to nine will become hurricanes and one to four will be major storms.

What to do: Be sure to check out our hurricane prep tips for Houstonians before a storm is in the Gulf.