As we head towards the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, you may be wondering whether we will see another 30 storms this year. Of course, the answer is complicated because the climate conditions change from one year to the next. You might also wonder if this is a sign of things to come more frequently in the future, since the number of hurricanes appears to be increasing, or if this was just a one-time record that is unlikely to be surpassed. Jeff Masters provides an excellent discussion of five factors that must be considered when trying to answer this question, including the effects of decreased air pollution, lack of volcanic eruptions, and both natural variability and human-caused climate change. You can read his discussion at Yale Climate Connections here.
