US sees milder hurricane season due to El Nino
Date: 09-Aug-02
Country: USA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, could include between seven and 10 tropical storms with four to six developing into hurricanes.
The outlook was down from NOAA's May forecast that predicted up to 13 tropical storms and about eight hurricanes.
"As El Nino matures, it is expected to first impact the Atlantic hurricane season in late September and October, then U.S. temperatures and precipitation in the fall and winter," said Jim Laver, director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
El Nino, or "boy child" in Spanish, is an above-average warming of water in the eastern Pacific that occurs every four to five years and distorts wind and rainfall patterns.
