Tropical weather and climate researchers at Colorado State University are predicting 17 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes in 2021, reports S&P Global. The CSU forecast precedes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s forecast, which is scheduled for release in late May.
For the U.S. oil and gas industry, the active forecast poses a significant potential threat to both offshore platforms and onshore infrastructure including refineries, gas processing and petrochemical plants, and crude, refined product and LNG export facilities.
According to CSU researchers, counties surrounding the Houston metro area and parishes surrounding New Orleans are among the most vulnerable to storms making landfall in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, potentially posing an outsized threat to some of the region’s mostly densely concentrated oil and gas infrastructure.
During the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, 11 named stormed entered the Gulf of Mexico, including four hurricanes and three major hurricanes. While Hurricane Laura was the single most disruptive storm, October was the most disruptive month of the season with four named storms entering the Gulf. See the full story.
