(via chron.com)
A La Nina weather pattern could boost hurricane formation in the Gulf of Mexico, increasing likelihood of oil from the damaged BP well to go churning, making cleanup more difficult, Reuters said.
In its monthly update, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center forecast today that La Nina conditions will develop in July and August. Several forecasters have said the number of hurricanes that hit the U.S. increase sharply during La Nina years.
La Nina spawns colder-than-normal waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. In contrast, El Nino is an abnormal warming of those waters. Both wreak havoc in the weather from the U.S. to India and occur every three to four years.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that this Atlantic storm season could be the worst since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit, Reuters said. The forecast calls for 23 named storms, 14 of which could grow into hurricanes.
Storms are a particular concern in the Gulf, which holds about 27 percent of the U.S.’s oil and 15 percent of its natural gas, according to the federal Department of Energy.
Tropical Storm/Hurricane Alex has already come and gone. It was the first hurricane to form in June in 15 years. Currently a tropical depression in the Gulf is threatening to become a Tropical Storm.
