Hurricane season forecast: At or below normal

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Kathryn Sullivan said Thursday that the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be near or below normal.
Eight to 13 tropical storms are forecast, with three to six reaching hurricane status and one or two of those likely growing to Category 3 or greater (110-mph winds or greater).
Forecasters expect to see between eight and 13 tropical storms, of which three to six will be hurricanes, and one or two of those may grow to Category 3 strength or greater, with winds above 110 mph.
The season's activity is the result of an expectation that El Nino -- warm sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean -- will be in place during the summer and early fall, creating conditions which pull energy from the clouds that form storms.
Sullivan said there's also an expectation of near average sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic basin, a contrast with the above average water temperatures that have occurred in the past few years. Higher water temperatures add heat to developing storms, speeding their intensification.