Call it a clash of ocean opposites.
A rare weather pattern taking shape in the Atlantic Ocean may help slow this year’s hurricane season, even as an unusually strong El Niño continues to build across the Pacific, forecasters say.
Meteorologists are tracking the possible formation of an Atlantic Niña, an uncommon drop in sea-surface temperatures across the equatorial Atlantic that can make the basin less favorable for tropical storms and hurricanes to form.
“For Atlantic Niña, that typically produces less tropical activity for the Atlantic season. It produces a more hostile environment for tropical development,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alan Reppert told The Post.
The developing Atlantic Niña has already pushed ocean temperatures down by about 2 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit below average.
If the cooling trend persists, it would mark only the sixth summer Atlantic Niña recorded in the past 40 years, according to an analysis by Severe Weather Europe.
At the same time, a Super El Niño has been heating Pacific Ocean waters since June and is expected to become the strongest such event in at least 150 years, according to Nature.
Current peak temperatures in the Pacific are running roughly 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Studies suggest Atlantic Niñas are associated with about 50% fewer tropical cyclones than normal, including fewer storms that make landfall in the US.
But this storm season will still be busy.
“We expect 11-16 storms, 4-7 hurricanes and 2-4 major hurricanes,” said Reppert. “Of those, 3-5 US impacts are expected. The highest risk areas for the additional impacts include the eastern Gulf of America coastline and coastal North and South Carolina.
“The El Niño typically has a greater impact on the tropical Atlantic season than Atlantic Nina,” he added.
“The next few weeks appear to be pretty quiet with limited chance for development, especially for the beaches along the Northeast US coastline,” Reppert said.
“But, if a storm develops and moves through a highly populated area or forms and moves just right, it can be a big season with just one storm.”
