The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st through November 30th. On Saturday night, the 14th named storm of the season formed.

Tropical Storm Nigel became the 14th named storm of the season late Saturday night. This storm formed well east of the Lesser Antilles over the warm water of the Atlantic Ocean. With the 4 p.m. Advisory Tuesday Nigel has strengthened to a category two hurricane. Maximum winds are 100 mph and it is tracking north-northwest at 14 mph.

Conditions have been favorable for this system to strengthen to its current state of a category 2 storm. Model data suggest Nigel will remain a category 2 hurricane through Wednesday afternoon before weakening. While it is a strong hurricane, it will remain over open water and is not expected to impact land.

So far this season there have been 14 named storms, the most recent being tropical storm Nigel. Of these storms, three major hurricanes have formed (maximum winds over 111 mph). During a normal season, we see 14 named storms, seven hurricane-strength, and of those three are major hurricanes. NOAA Forecasters updated their season predictions due to the recent interactions between water temperatures and El Niño conditions. They are forecasting that 14 to 21 named storms may occur, with six to 11 of them being hurricanes and two to five being major hurricanes.

The hurricane season continues through the end of November. The next storm that forms this season will be named Ophelia.