End of El Nino could lead to MORE hurricanes in 2024 as global sea temperatures rise - despite TWENTY named storms developing in 2023

America is set to be battered by more hurricanes next year as weather systems dissipate, leading to warmer waters and more fuel for storms. 

Forecasters have warned that with El Nino coming to an end and global sea temperatures expected to rise, there is a 'high potential' for even more hurricanes in 2024. 

When El Nino is present, such as in 2023, it leads to cooler temperatures, which usually means fewer and less powerful storms. In 2023, 20 named storms developed in the Atlantic.   

Seven of those were classified as hurricanes, but only three of them intensified to major hurricanes. Harold, Idalia and Ophelia ravaged parts of Texas, Florida, and the East Coast, including New Jersey, Virginia and New York. 

Now, some forecasters say 2024 could see more than 20 storms as temperatures rise, providing greater potential for a busy hurricane season. 

Researchers say the cooling El Nino pattern is not expected to be present in 2024. The year after an El Nino pattern typically becomes a 'weak' La Nina year and leads to increased temperatures the following year. 

La Nina also leads to the formation of more hurricanes in the Deep Tropics that have a greater likelihood of becoming devastating storms and reaching the US, according to the National Weather Service. 

In El Nino years, there are typically 4.9 storms that make landfall in the US. In La Nina years, that figure jumps to 6.8. Hurricane Georges in 1998 is an example of a La Nina storm. That Category 4 storm led to more than 600 deaths and $9billion in damages. 

Hurricane experts have said that even with these predictions, it is too early to know for sure how many storms might hit in the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. 

It is also unknown just how warm the Atlantic Ocean will get as global temperatures are set to keep rising through climate change. 

In 2023, 17 formed storms did not make landfall in the US and instead drifted off to sea. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 2023 season had the fourth-most storms 'in a single year since 1950.' 

But, three made their impacts felt on the East Coast.  

Hurricane Harold hit the US on August 22, as it made landfall in Texas and put one million coastal residents under a severe weather warning. 

The storm also hit Padre Island after it formed in the Gulf of Mexico overnight before it reached the Lone Star state. 

Harold brought heavy rain to parts of southern Texas and created flood watches in the Trans-Pecos and Big Bend regions. It also created a small flood watch near Ruidoso, New Mexico. 

Winds during the storm hit 35 mph as authorities deployed emergency resources including rescue boats, search and rescue teams and platoons from the Texas National Guard to help deal with the storm's impact. 

Just days after, Hurricane Idalia came swooping into the country as it slammed Florida on August 30. 

The Category 3 hurricane became the strongest storm to strike the Sunshine State in more than 125 years, according to CNN. 

The National Hurrican Center warned of an increased risk of life-threatening 12ft storm surges and dangerous 150mph winds in Florida during Idalia. 

Extremely warm ocean water made it possible for Idalia to unleash its fury and reveal its strength as trees and structures were damaged across the states Big Bend and parts of Georgia. 

According to the National Weather Service, the hurricane 'moved ashore during low tide, and if not for that storm surge values could have easily been 3 to 4 feet higher had Idalia moved onshore only 4 to 6 hours later at high tide.'

Idalia marked the fourth major hurricane to hit Florida over the past seven years, following Irma in 2017, Michael in 2018 and Ian, which peaked at Category 5, last September. 

Hurricane Ophelia was next up as it made landfall in the state on September 23 as it first made its way to Easter North Carolina before it shifted to Southern Virginia. 

Rainy conditions from the storm then moved on to the east coast in New Jersey and New York and caused flooding. 

In New Jersey, winds and the deluge have been causing disruption, and waves near the shore were recorded at 10 feet high. 

Officials at the Cleveland Park Metro Station in Washington, DC, had sandbagged the vicinity and all other flood-prone stations in preparation for the storm. 

The Big Apple was severely hit with torrential downpours as drivers got trapped in the streets and subway stations went under water. 

A total of 2,600 people were left without power in North Carolina, and 5,800 were blacked out in New Jersey. 

Of all of the hurricanes that took place in 2023, only the 'hyperactive' seasons of 2005, 2020 and 2021 had more. 

Matthe Rosencrans, the lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA said: 'The Atlantic basin produced the most named storms of any El Niño influenced year in the modern record.'