With its mighty strength and its dangerous path, Hurricane Milton has powered into a very rare threat that is flirting with experts’ worst fears.

Explosively intensifying Hurricane Milton is the latest freaky system to come out of what veteran hurricane scientists call the weirdest storm season of their lives.

After hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and downgrading to a tropical storm, Beryl is expected to once again become a hurricane as it hurtles towards southern Texas by Sunday evening.

Hurricane Beryl’s explosive growth into an unprecedented early storm shows the literal hot water the Atlantic and Caribbean are in right now and the kind of season ahead.

Colorado State University ups its hurricane count for the season,

Universities and private forecasting companies have begun to issue their thoughts on just how active our upcoming Atlantic hurricane season will be and, generally speaking, most predictions are slightly above the average.

Tropical Storm Danielle has strengthened into a hurricane - the first of an unusually quiet storm season.

The Atlantic hurricane season has been oddly quiet.

In a recent webinar, Colorado State University hurricane forecaster Phil Klotzbach remarked that if the “busy” hurricane season is a bust then it would be largely due to the European heat wave. Given that, let me explain, so stick with me.

Federal meteorologists say this hurricane season may not be quite as busy as they initially thought, but it should still be more active than normal.

Every year the seasonal hurricane forecasts start rolling in during April and this year they are all pointing to another busy season! An average season brings 14 storms of which 7 become hurricanes and 3 become major. This coming season looks to be above that average with as many as 20 storms and 5 major hurricanes, depending on who you ask. Here are some of the recent forecasts:

Last week at the National Tropical Weather Conference, Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University presented his 2022 Tropical Storm forecast. Accuweather had delivered theirs just a few days before. And while some headlines screamed “Monster season” most went with “busy” or “above normal”. You might remember that ‘normal’ recently increased from 12 storms to 14 and the considered average now is 14 tropical storms of which 7 will become hurricanes and 3 of those will become Major hurricanes of Category 3, 4 or 5. I made a chart of the two forecasts so far:

Phil Klotzbach, a researcher and hurricane expert at Colorado State University, has issued his July updated forecast for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season Thursday. He’s predicting another busy season.

Last Wednesday I blogged about the newest hurricane forecast from Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University. He is forecasting 17 storms of which 8 become hurricanes and 4 become major (Cat 3) hurricanes. A lot of research goes into his prediction and, as I discussed, a couple of important factors are the state of La Nina/El Nino and the temperatures of the Atlantic ocean waters. Specifically, presence of La Nina = a Busy season and warmer than normal sea surface temperatures = a Busy season. We have both a weak La Nina and the warm water, thus, his forecast of 17-8-4 is above the average season of 14-7-3.

Regardless of average, this looks to be a busy year.

(NOAA via AP)With named storms coming earlier and more often in warmer waters, the Atlantic hurricane season is going through some changes with meteorologists ditching the Greek alphabet during busy years. The Greek alphabet had only been used twice in 2005 and nine times last year in a record-shattering hurricane season. AdMeanwhile, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is recalculating just what constitutes an average hurricane season. STARTING EARLIERMIT hurricane researcher Kerry Emanuel said “this whole idea of hurricane season should be revisited." So a warming world means the new normal is busy hurricane seasons just like the last 30 years.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A record-setting Atlantic hurricane season that saw the highest number of named storms officially came to a close Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season set multiple records while producing a record 30 named storms. NOAA said an average season has 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three become major hurricanes. The prior record for named storms hitting Louisiana in a single hurricane season is 4 set in 2002,” Klotzbach said. NOAA said this was the fifth consecutive year with an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with 18 above-normal seasons out of the past 26.

Tropical Storm Eta is parked off the western coast of Cuba, dumping rain. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Theta — which formed overnight and broke a record as the 29th named Atlantic storm of the season — is chugging east toward Europe on the cusp of hurricane status. The system now has a 70% chance of becoming the 30th named storm. Never before have three named storms been twirling at the same time this late in the year, Klotzbach said. The overall message is that everyone in the area should pay attention to Eta, Brennan said.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Zeta remained a Category 1 hurricane several hours after its Wednesday afternoon landfall in Louisiana. — Sarah Dean sheltered in her home in Montegut just miles (kilometers) from where Hurricane Zeta came ashore in southeast Louisiana. — Louisiana's governor says Hurricane Zeta has caused extensive structural damage to businesses and homes in hard-hit areas of the state's southeast. ____3:15 p.m.NEW ORLEANS — Hurricane Zeta is just short of being considered a major hurricane as it speeds toward storm-weary Louisiana with New Orleans squarely in its path. School officials are calling off school because of the fear of rain, wind and power outages from Hurricane Zeta as it makes its way inland.

MIAMI – Newly formed Tropical Storm Zeta gradually strengthened Sunday in the western Caribbean and forecasters said it would likely become a hurricane before hitting Mexico's resort-dotted Yucatan Peninsula and the U.S. Gulf Coast in coming days. Zeta was the earliest named 27th Atlantic storm recorded in an already historic hurricane season. The system was centered about 260 miles (420 kilometers) southeast of Cozumel island late Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The government is still handing out aid, including sheet roofing, to Yucatan residents hit by Hurricane Delta and Tropical Storm Gamma earlier this month. The hurricane center said it could make landfall anywhere from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Forecasters said Beta was not expected to bring the same amount of rainfall that Texas experienced during either Hurricane Harvey in 2017 or Tropical Storm Imelda last year. The first rain bands from Beta reached the Texas coast on Sunday, but the heaviest rain wasn't expected to arrive until Monday into Tuesday. If the system makes landfall in Texas, it would be the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in 2020. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda. Wilfred, which had been a tropical storm, weakened to a tropical depression earlier Sunday.

MIAMI Tropical Storm Omar formed off the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Nana approached the coast of Central America, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported. Nana was moving west at 18 mph (30 kph) on a path that could damage Central America on Wednesday and Thursday. The National Hurricane Center later said the entire coast of Belize had been placed under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch. The National Hurricane Center expects Tropical Storm Omar to be short-lived. Omar was 225 miles (365 kilometers) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving east-northeast at 15 mph (24 kph).

The Atlantic is increasingly spawning more major hurricanes, according to an Associated Press analysis of NOAA hurricane data since 1950. The Atlantic now averages three major hurricanes a year, based on a 30-year running average. A study by Kossin found that, once a storm formed, the chances of its attaining major storm status globally increased by 8% a decade since 1979. Such a busy period started in 1995 and might end soon as northern Atlantic waters shift to a cooler regime, he said. In addition, he said: Climate change will be a bigger driver of losses in the future.___Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at www.twitter.com/borenbears.

Already smashing records, this years hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season is about to get even nastier, forecasters predict. The agency increased the chance of an above average hurricane season from 60% to 85%. Colorado State University, which pioneered hurricane season forecasts decades ago, on Wednesday amped its forecast to 24 named storms, 12 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes all higher than their June forecast. An average year, based on 1981 to 2010 data, is 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. There are 21 names assigned to a hurricane season.

Pedestrians use umbrellas to protect themselves from inclement weather brought about by Tropical Storm Fay, Friday, July 10, 2020, in New York. Beaches closed in Delaware and rain lashed the New Jersey shore as fast-moving Tropical Storm Fay churned north on a path expected to soak the New York City region. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)MIAMI Tropical depression Fay moved north over New York early Saturday and was expected to continue to weaken through the weekend, forecasters said. It weakened once it hit land and was expected to quickly become a post-tropical low, then dissipate on Sunday, forecasters said. Forecasters said Fay was expected to produce 1 to 3 inches (3 to 7 centimeters) of rain, with flash flooding possible in some areas.

MIAMI Tropical Storm Fay slightly picked up speed and strength as it moved closer to land Friday, and forecasters decreased projections for rain totals and flooding. The storm picked up speed Friday morning, moving north around 10 mph (17 kph) and producing top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), forecasters said. Earlier observations showed it moving at 8 mph (13 kph) with top sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). A tropical storm warning remained in effect from Cape May, New Jersey, to Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Fay is the earliest sixth-named storm on record, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

HOUSTON – Today, Colorado State University hurricane researchers led by hurricane expert, Dr. Phil Klotzbach, have increased their 2020 hurricane forecast to the following:The new updated July hurricane forecast for 2020We have already had five named storms as of the Fourth of July weekend, so according to the new updated hurricane forecast, we could see an additional 15 named storms before the end of the season! One of the fuels for an active hurricane season is warmer than average Atlantic Ocean waterActive Western Africa monsoon season:The current forecast for the monsoonal season across Western Africa is trending to be a wetter (more active) season than usual. These are important because a generally strong La Niña pattern lends itself to a more active tropical season by history. Conversely, an El Niño pattern generally is seen during less active tropical seasons. We’ll continue to see more updates to the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane seasonal forecast this August as well.

ORLANDO, Fla. Even though the six-month Atlantic hurricane season lasts as long as a typical Major League Baseball season, a Florida congresswoman thinks it needs to be longer. In 2020, three tropical storms Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal formed in mid-May and the beginning of June, she said. There has been only one named hurricane before June since the satellite era started in 1966 Hurricane Alma in 1970. I dont think there is any reason to lengthen the hurricane season, since we havent had a hurricane in May in 50 years," Klotzbach said in an email. Hurricane season was also never intended to include ... all of the activity, just the majority of it," said McNoldy, who works for the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science.

Tropical Storm One PATHTropical Storm One 19601960 did not have much action for Texas, but there was Tropical Storm One which is one of those sneaky storms. The next season, 1966, left Texas completely alone and, in fact, didn’t do much to the Gulf:1966 Hurricane PathsBut 1980 was another story. Believe it or not, Tropical Storm Danielle would follow in September, moving into Beaumont where Nederland picked up 18″ of rain. The 1980 season lasted well into November and Texans were glad to see it go. Before Ike, however, was Hurricane Dolly in Brownsville dropping 15″ of rain in Harlingen and causing damage to South Padre.

HOUSTON – Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a renowned tropical expert from Colorado State University, issued his annual Atlantic tropical season forecast Thursday. Dr. Phil Klotzbach's April 2nd forecast for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. As the Atlantic water temperature increases, the amount of energy stored in that water increases. Analogous YearsOne way to predict how a hurricane season might unfold is to compare it to history. Most importantly, it gets our minds focused on the fact that hurricane season is right around the corner.