Forecasters expect a slow hurricane season but urge coastal residents to prepare for the worst

Forecasters with Accuweather.com are expecting a relatively slow hurricane season this year, but say that the US coast could be impacted by three storms.

On average, two or three storms hit U.S. coastline each year.

The weather forecasting website says this will likely be the fifth below-normal Atlantic hurricane season in two decades, with eight named tropical storms.

An average season has 12 storms.

AccuWeather predicts four hurricanes, one of them becoming a major hurricane.

Forecasters say a number of factors lead them to believe this will be a slower than average season including high wind shear over the Atlantic, making it more difficult for storms to form.

But they do add that waters in the Gulf of Mexico are warmer than normal which provides key fuel for tropical cyclones to form and strengthen.

People along the Gulf Coast should be preparing now for hurricane season – you can get preparedness tips online at haveahurricaneplan.com. 

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