Meteorologists Release 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast

Travelers preparing for a summer vacation to the Caribbean should be aware of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began Saturday.

According to the Caribbean News Digital, officials from the National Hurricane Center revealed the first significant storm of the year is expected to form in the southern Gulf of Mexico over the next few days and into the weekend.

If the weather system reaches wind speeds of 39 miles per hour, it will become Tropical Storm Barry. The National Hurricane Center said, “regardless of development, the disturbance will likely produce heavy rainfall over portions of southern Mexico during the next few days.”

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As for the overall hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it would last around six months and consist of between nine to 15 named tropical storms.

NOAA expects between four and eight of the storms to grow into full-blown hurricanes.

Estimates on how many tropical storms varies depending on the source, including Colorado State University meteorologists saying in April they believe 13 tropical storms will form in 2019, with five becoming hurricanes.