Summer is peak hurricane season, and it's never the same from one year to the next. To help you understand what is going on and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly-experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe). You'll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest...
Meteorologists are calling for a close-to-average hurricane season. But it’s an unusually tricky forecast, they say. The weather pattern known as El Niño, when sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean rise above normal, is likely to arrive soon. In general, El Niño has a tendency to suppress hurricane formation in the Atlantic due to certain atmospheric effects.
But this year, sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are well above normal. And warm water serves as fuel, potentially allowing any hurricanes that do form to develop faster and stronger. So, figure on a normal number of storms, but watch out for bad ones. Conditions may be especially ripe for powerful hurricanes to form. And remember, it takes only one severe hurricane hitting the wrong spot to make for a bad season.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Some good news on the hurricane forecast front: New radar could help by providing meteorologists with more detail on how storms are forming. A grant from the federal government’s National Science Foundation (NSF). will develop the system in partnership with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Eventually, researchers hope that more-accurate radar than what is now used to monitor storms will lead to better forecasts, giving people and businesses in harm’s way more warning.
This forecast first appeared in The Kiplinger Letter, which has been running since 1923 and is a collection of concise weekly forecasts on business and economic trends, as well as what to expect from Washington, to help you understand what’s coming up to make the most of your investments and your money. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter.
Read more
-
Stock Market Today: Markets Reflect Global UncertaintyExuberance fades as investors confront micro challenges and a murkier macro environment.
-
4 Things You Need to Know Before Applying for Social Security in 2025Don't unnecessarily delay or reduce your Social Security benefits because you don't know all the rules and requirements.
-
Don't Sleep on Japan's Economic TransformationThe Letter After almost three lost decades, Japan — one of the world's biggest economies — is finally showing signs of life.
-
Start-ups Trying to (Profitably) Solve the World’s Hardest ProblemsThe Letter More investors are interested in companies working on breakthrough science to tackle huge societal challenges. The field of deep tech has major tailwinds, too.
-
The Big Questions for AR’s FutureThe Letter As Meta shows off a flashy AR prototype, Microsoft quietly stops supporting its own AR headset. The two companies highlight the promise and peril of AR.
-
China's Economy Faces Darkening OutlookThe Letter What the slowdown in China means for U.S. businesses.
-
Should We Worry About the Slowing U.S. EconomyThe Letter With the labor market cooling off and financial markets turning jittery, just how healthy is the economy right now?
-
Kiplinger Special: How Businesses Should Budget for 2025Kiplinger Forecasts From fuel to AI software subscriptions, here's what you can expect to pay next year.
-
Intel Braces for an Even Tougher Road AheadThe Kiplinger Letter Amid a long, costly turnaround, Intel resets expectations again. Its new woes raise questions about U.S. industrial policy and global chip competition.
-
Kiplinger Special: The Long-Term Future of the U.S. Economy
The Kiplinger Letter Kiplinger's report into what it will take the U.S. to maintain a healthy economic growth rate.
