Five to eight tropical cyclones — a category that includes depressions, storms and hurricanes — are expected to impact the Central North Pacific basin from June 1 through Nov. 30, said Central Pacific Hurricane Center Director Chris Brenchley. The center also forecast a 40 percent chance of an above-normal season, a 40 percent chance of a near-normal season and a 20 percent chance of a below-normal season.
Named Central Pacific tropical cyclones for 2017 will begin with Walaka, according to the center. Hawaiian names are assigned only to storms that form in the Central Pacific area.
Many factors affect the level of tropical cyclone activity from year to year. Among them are El Nino, which correlates with warmer ocean temperature that cause increased storm activity and late season storms, and La Nina, which features cooler waters and historically has produced below normal activity seasons. Warmer waters fuel convection and storms.