The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration”™s Climate Prediction Center recently downgraded the Atlantic hurricane season from well above average to merely above average.
The news could mean less damage to homes and businesses in the eastern third of the U.S.
For Connecticut, it could mean black ink. The state remains a bulwark of the insurance and reinsurance industries and is home to familiar national names that include The Hartford Financial Services Group and The Travelers Cos.
Variable winds and a budding La Niña were cited in predicting calmer waters.
There are typically a dozen named storms in the Atlantic hurricane season; now that number is anticipated to be between 13 and 18, with six becoming full-blown hurricanes. Government forecasters in May predicted as many as 22 named storms and 11 hurricanes.
The Insurance Information Institute, a New York City-based property-casualty research entity, estimated Hurricane Sandy cost insurers $18.8 billion last fall.
The peak of hurricane season starts in mid-August. The season officially ends Nov. 30.
