Rising La Niña Odds Point to More Hurricanes in the Atlantic

The world may be about to shift into a La Niña weather pattern, a development that would increase the risk of storms in the Atlantic as the height of hurricane season approaches there.

Forecasters at the US Climate Prediction Center have issued a La Niña watch, meaning that the surface of the Pacific Ocean is poised to cool. The weather pattern tends to reduce sudden changes in wind speed and direction in the Atlantic, allowing more storms to take shape.

The agency said there is a 53% chance the weather-changing phenomenon will form sometime in September, October and November, the ...