NOAA: Near- Or Above-Normal Central Pacific Hurricane Season

Climate conditions point to a near-normal or above-normal hurricane season in the Central Pacific Basin this year with patterns possibly affected by an El Niño weather pattern, NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center announced. The outlook for 2014 calls for a 40 percent chance of a near-normal season, a 40 percent chance of an above-normal season and a 20 percent chance of a below-normal season. Authors of the outlook state that they expect four to seven tropical cyclones to affect the central Pacific this season, compared to an average season’s four to five tropical cyclones, which include tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.