...WHILE NORTHEAST PACIFIC GENERATES STORM ACTIVITY AT HIGH END OF FORECAST RANGE

While the Atlantic storm season was quiet, the northeast Pacific hurricane season generated storms at the high end of forecasters’ predicted range, with 20 named storms, 14 of which became hurricane and eight became major hurricanes. The NOAA’s forecast had called for 14 to 20 named storms, seven to 11 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes. “Conditions that favoured an above-normal eastern Pacific hurricane season included weak vertical wind shear, exceptionally moist and unstable air, and a strong ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that helped to keep storms in a conducive environment for extended periods,” Bell said.