4 to 7 Tropical Cyclones Expected in 2014 Hurricane Season
By Wendy Osher
The 2014 Hurricane Season Outlook for the Central Pacific Basin calls for 4 to 7 tropical cyclones with El Niño conditions expected to develop during the summer.
Agency officials say El Niño conditions typically mean a more active hurricane season in the Central Pacific, as opposed to La Niña conditions which have typically meant a less active season for the region.
That figure is on par with the average 4 to 5 tropical cyclones recorded in the Central Pacific each year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there have been 147 tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific over a 33 year period between 1981 and 2013.
The agency also reports that there have been three direct hits since 1950 including: Dot in 1959; ʻIwa in 1982; and ʻIniki in 1992. Total monetary damages from those three events combined is estimated at more than $3.5 billion, according to NOAA.
The Central North Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, 2014.