Here are the 21 Storm Names for the 2024 Hurricane Season

Summer officially starts in Texas Thursday, June 20, at 3:50 p.m. Central Time. For us seasoned or native Texans, we know that summer actually starts in late April or early May. Before the start of summer, we have to deal with another season, tornado season. That activity really amps up in spring time but can hang around all year. In between the start of tornado season and the start of the summer season, we have to deal with another weather season kicking off, hurricane season. That runs every year from June 1 to November 30. Let's take a look at the predictions for the 2024 season and the names for this year's storms.

2024 Hurricane Season

The 2024 hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends November 30. For the 2024 season, the meteorologists at Colorado State University say we will have an aggressive season for hurricanes. In total, they predict we will see 23 named storms, compared to 13 last year. Of those 23, 11 are expected to reach hurricane strength and 5 of those 11 are predicted to reach Category 3 or higher (KXAN).

To get a little deep into the science of these predictions, La Nina means that normal surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean are cooler than normal. This reduces the wind shear in the mid and upper areas of the atmosphere allowing for easier development of hurricanes. If El Nino is present, the wind shear is higher in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere which can help break down a storm. Currently, El Nino is present off the Pacific coast. It is believed to go neutral this month through June which could help the development of bigger storms in the Pacific and the Gulf. It's expected to shift to a La Nina this summer which only enhances the risk of storm development.

Storm Predicting

As far as where these storms will hit can't be predicted just because the movement of the storm can be so unpredictable even after its formed. One thing that can be predicted is the names of the storms each year. For this season, 21 names have been assigned. If those 21 storms are used up, then the weather service moves to a secondary list of 21 names (wmo.int).

Check out the names below and see if your name made the list. My name is Michael and has been used a couple of times in years past. After some uses, names could be retired. I'm sure names like Katrina or Allison or Harvey have been retired just due to how large and damaging those storms were.