This year's Atlantic hurricane season should be "near-normal," according to forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

  • NOAA calls for 70% likelihood of 10-16 named storms
  • 1 to 4 storms could become major hurricanes
  • Forecasters watching 2nd tropical system in Atlantic

The NOAA on Friday issued its Atlantic hurricane season outlook, calling for a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms. It also said four to eight could become hurricanes and one to four could become major hurricanes (Category 3-5).

But development is already happening in the tropics. In a rare occurrence, a hurricane, Alex, formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean in January. And a tropical wave northeast of the Bahamas is on the verge of developing into Bonnie, this year's second named storm. Florida will not directly be impacted by that tropical cyclone.

Also, El Niño, which was strong in the fall and winter, is dissipating, and the effects of La Niña should start to take over during the busiest part of hurricane season.

"It only takes one. However many hurricanes there are coming this year, if just one of them comes near or over your community, you could experience winds, water, or both, that are worse than you ever have," National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said. "At that point, you're not going to be thinking about La Nina and El Nino, you're going to be thinking about the fact that you got hit, and you'll be looking back to now and thinking, 'Did I decide ahead of time to prepare for the next hurricane or not?'"

Stay tuned to the Weather Experts at News 13 and MyNews13.com for the latest updates.