Forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States say to prepare for this year’s above-average Atlantic hurricane season.

The hurricane season will officially begin on June 1 and last until November.This NOAA says There is a 60% chance of having an above-average hurricane season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that by 2021, there will be 13 to 20 named storms, of which 6 to 10 will be hurricanes-storms with a speed of at least 74 mph. Three to five of these hurricanes may reach category 3 (storms with wind speeds exceeding 110 mph) or higher.

“Now is the time to prepare the coastline and inland communities for the dangers that hurricanes may bring,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo Say. “NOAA experts are ready to provide communities with life-saving warnings and forecasts, which will also help minimize the economic impact of the storm.”

The Philadelphia area is rarely affected by hurricanes, but Prediction from Colorado State University This year, the coastlines of Delaware and New Jersey are at higher risk.

New Jersey and Delaware have a two-thirds chance of being hit by a storm, and a one-tenth chance of being affected by a hurricane. Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties in New Jersey have a 27% to 28% chance of being affected by a named storm.

Last August, Tropical Storm Isaias It brought heavy rainfall, power outages and floods in the Philadelphia area, and caused tornadoes on the Jersey Shore, with wind speeds as high as 109 mph off the coast.

In the average season, there are 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. After 30 named storms in 2020 (the highest in history), NOAA recently changed these qualifiers.

After forecasters looked through the English alphabet last year, they had to start naming storms in Greek letters. It is expected that this year’s season will not exceed last year’s figures.

Matthew Rosencrans, chief seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said, “Climate change will not directly affect the number of named storms.” “The increase in storms mostly reflects better. Technology to detect storms.”

But the bigger and more deadly hurricane Become more common Scientists say that in recent years-usually faster than ever, storms have turned into major hurricanes, which may be a product of climate change.

NOAA says there are several factors that affect the busy storm season. The temperature rise caused by hurricanes on the ocean surface is 1 to 3 degrees Celsius higher this year than normal levels in May.

The first storm of the season, “Anna”, has been brewing hundreds of miles east of Bermuda, and forecasters say it may become a subtropical cyclone.

For information on how to prepare for a hurricane and stay safe in the storm, go to www.ready.gov/hurricanes.