Atlantic Hurricane Season 2010

Yesterday was June 1st, and you know what that means right? It was the first official day of the 2010 Hurricane season! While most people living on or near the water on the east coast do not look forward to another summer of intense tropical storms, for us surfers, this is what we wait for all year. Warm water, hot and sunny days, and long period ground swell, what more could you ask for?

I’ve been reading a few weather blogs and they have been predicting an above average year as far as tropical activity goes. In their 2010 Season Outlook, the NOAA had this to say:

“NOAA’s 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook calls for an 85% chance of an above normal season. The outlook indicates only a 10% chance of a near-normal season and a 5% chance of a below-normal season.

“This outlook reflects an expected set of conditions that is very conducive to increased Atlantic hurricane activity. This expectation is based on the prediction of three climate factors, all of which are conducive historically to increased tropical cyclone activity.”

I know what you’re thinking: “they always predict higher then average seasons and then downgrade their predictions as we get deeper into the season”, but with El Niño gone and higher then normal sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic, along with some other weather patterns from the past few months, it does in fact look like this year will be an above average season!

If you want to read some more info on the outlook here are some links to check out:

• NOAA: 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook
• NOAA’s forecast: a very active, possibly hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season
• Colorado State 2010 Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Forecasts

Also, here is the list of the names to be used this year for tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin:

Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Igor
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tomas
Virginie
Walter

I’ve got my money on Gaston and Hermine to send us the best swell of the season. What about you guys, who do you think will be the one that sends us that epic swell this year?