Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project released its annual hurricane season outlook on Thursday (April 8), which is predicting for an above-average season in 2021.

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season outlook is predicting 17 total named storms, which are two more than the 1991-2020 average; eight hurricanes, which is one more than the 1991-2020 average; and four major (category 3 or higher) hurricanes, which is one more than the 1991-2020 average, Weather.com reports.

The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project, which is led by Dr. Phil Klotzbach, uses an outlook based on around 40 years of statistical factors, as well as data from seasons showing similar features of sea-level pressure and sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific oceans, according to Weather.com.

"We anticipate that the 2021 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have above-normal activity," Klotzbach wrote in the CSU outlook.

Hurricane season typically runs from June to November, but sometimes storms can develop outside that span, which has occurred in the previous six seasons and 10 of the past 18 seasons since 2003.

In 2020, two tropical storms -- Arthur and Bertha -- each formed in May and the United States saw a new annual record 11 storms make landfall, including six hurricanes -- Hanna, Isaias, Laura, Sally, Delta and Zeta -- which far exceeded the average of 1-2 making landfall per season, according to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division.

"We anticipate an above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean," Klotzbach said. "As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them. They should prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted."

You can read the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project's full report here.

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