Atlantic hurricane season forecast to be milder than normal thanks to El Nio (May 2026)
www.nbcnews.com

... Atlantic hurricane seasons when an El Nio reaches strong or very strong status have two-thirds the named storms and half the hurricanes of the 1991-2020 average, according to an Associated Press analysis of storm and El Nino statistics.

El Nios fight Atlantic storm formation in several ways, especially with cross winds about 1 mile to 7 miles (1.5 to 11 kilometers) above the surface "which can basically blow apart the thunderstorms that make up" a hurricane, Corbosiero said.

"A stronger than normal wind shear tends to tilt storms as they try to develop," said University at Albany atmospheric scientist Brian Tang. "It pushes dry air into storms. And prevents storms from developing in the first place. And if they do develop, it also prevents them from intensifying."

Forecasts for peak hurricane season show strong wind shear from the west in the main development region for the largest and long-lasting hurricanes that come off of Africa and develop as they head west over the Atlantic, Klotzbach said. Fewer of these type storms happen during El Nios. ...