The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released an updated Atlantic hurricane season outlook today, predicting that the season is on track to be above normal. An African dust storm phenomenon out of the Sahara Desert, however, may hinder some Atlantic hurricane potential, according to Dr. Gerry Bell of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
"For the season as a whole, we don't really see that African dust as a main player in the strength of the hurricane season," Bell said. "Where it does become important is for individual tropical storms or hurricanes. If one tries to develop and moves into that very, very dry air, that can certainly hinder development."
Still, Bell says that his confidence in an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season is high.
