SC may face record hurricane season in 2024

The upcoming hurricane season may be a bit rough for South Carolina and the rest of the Southeast.

Colorado State University researchers have released their annual early forecast predicting an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season in 2024 — forecasting 11 hurricanes this year.

“This is the highest prediction for hurricanes that CSU has ever issued with their April outlook,” the researchers’ report states. “The prior highest April forecast was for nine hurricanes, which has been called for several times since the university began issuing April forecasts in 1995.”

The Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

The researchers also predict 23 named storms for the season this year. Last year the Atlantic hurricane season had 20 named storms, which ranks fourth for the most named storms in a season since 1950, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, NOAA states.

South Carolina only faced one real significant storm threat last year. Hurricane Idalia tore through Florida and moved into Georgia in late August. By the time it had reached Charleston, it had been downgraded to a tropical storm.