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Researchers at Colorado State University are calling for an "extremely active" 2024 Atlantic hurricane season in their initial forecast released on Thursday.
The team is calling for 23 named storms, with 11 becoming hurricanes. Of those, five could reach category 3 or higher strength.
Record warm sea-surface temperatures in the tropical and eastern subtropical Atlantic, along with the possibility of La Niña conditions at the peak of the season, are driving the lofty numbers.
The CSU team will update their forecast in June, July and August.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1.