Could Texas see active 2024 hurricane season? Expert discusses findings and why you should be aware

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Hurricane season may not be one of the top things on your mind, especially since it's only the beginning of the year. But AccuWeather hurricane experts are already warning that we could see a blockbuster hurricane season in the Atlantic this year.

During an interview with ABC13's Chief Meteorologist Travis Herzog, AccuWeather's Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter further explained what factors they're seeing that are keeping the team on alert.

"This could become a supercharged hurricane season," Porter said. "The water is historically warm in the tropical Atlantic, really off the charts. The water in the tropical Atlantic is about the same level that it typically is in mid-July. That's a problem."

In addition to the hot water, Porter added that we're expecting to enter a La Niña pattern as we head into the peak of hurricane season.

"Those two factors combined are what has us really concerned," Porter said.

But what exactly is the La Niña pattern?

Porter said that when we're in an El Niño-type configuration, as we have been in the last year, it can promote wind shear, changing wind speed in direction as you go up in the atmosphere.

"That can sometimes tend to put a cap on the development of tropical storms and hurricanes," Porter said.

Now, as for La Niña, which is the opposite of El Niño, Porter said it tends to relax the winds, which can result in more tropical storms and hurricanes developing and intensifying.

Porter said we will enter a La Niña pattern slowly at first, but it can ramp up during the hurricane season.

"That is also a concerning sign because that can really help to amplify the risks for tropical storm and hurricane development," Porter said.

So what does this mean for Texas?

AccuWeather's report stated that Texas and Louisiana could be at greater risk for hurricane activity this year.

Porter said they're looking at ocean and atmospheric setups in similar years to what we're expecting during this hurricane season.

"It doesn't mean it's going to be exactly the same configuration, but we look for patterns in those typical years that had similar ocean and atmosphere setups. And when we plot that, we see a greater risk in Texas and in Louisiana, also over toward Florida," Porter said.

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