Hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November, is predicted to be a busy one this year, according to forecasters.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its most startling warning to date about the current season. Forecasters said there could be up to 25 named storms in 2024.

Between eight and 13 of those storms could develop into hurricanes, NOAA said.

Anywhere from four to seven of those storms could strengthen into Category-3 or more severe hurricanes. That would be more than double the usual number.

If Hurricane Beryl continues on the trajectory some forecasters are predicting and it develops into a Category 3 storm, the second named storm of the 2024 season would be one of the earliest arrivals of one of the storms the NOAA warned of.

“It’s astonishing to see a forecast for a major (Category 3+) hurricane in June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this far east in the deep tropics,” Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert said on social media.

“Only 5 major (Category 3+) hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July. Beryl would be the sixth and earliest this far east in the tropical Atlantic.”

In the 2023 hurricane season there were 19 named storms.