La Nina...spanish for 'the little girl'...appears to be absent so far this year. But what is La Nina? This phenomenon is a cooling of the Pacific Ocean near the equator. It can have widespread impacts on weather conditions across the globe. One of those impacts...it can effect the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic basin.

Typically, 'La Nina' years bring more hurricane activity than non 'La Nina' years. So one could think that this year's hurricane season would be a bit more tranquil...but hurricane experts are still expecting a very active season. The forecast? As many as 17 names storms...up to 10 of those storms becoming hurricanes...and up to five of those hurricanes becoming 'major' hurricanes. Those major storms are the ones to look out for...they have winds of at least 111 miles per hour (if not higher)...and are the most destructive storms.

A great example of this...having no 'La Nina' but still having plenty of tropical systems...is the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. There were 28 named storms that year...so many that the list of hurricane names...actually ran out. We were using the greek alphabet to name storms. It's the first time in my life I've ever heard a 'Hurricane Beta.' Of course, that year also spawned Hurricane Katrina...the storm that devastated New Orleans. You can see an amazing photo below. At one point, while in the Gulf of Mexico, Katrina had winds of 175 miles per hour.

On a personal level, it's a summer I'll never forget. I was working in Orlando at the time. It was an amazing time to be a meteorologist working in in that 'hurricane zone.'

So far this year in the Atlantic there have only been two named storms. But the season is still young...the average hurricane season doesn't peak until early September...and then slowly calms down from there. The season officially ends November 30.

For you amateur hurricane hunters out there, you can always track tropical activity with the National Hurricane Center based in South Florida. Their website...click here and you'll be taken there. The amount of information on that sight is unreal.

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