The agency predicts 14-19 named storms, 7-10 hurricanes, and 3-5 major hurricanes.
The Climate Prediction Center's Gerry Bell said, “The atmosphere and Atlantic Ocean are primed for high hurricane activity during August through October. Storms through October will form more frequently and become more intense than we’ve seen so far this season.”
The NOAA points to abnormally high temperatures in the Atlantic ocean, the tropical multidecadal signal, and a possible resurgence of the La Niña system as possible reasons for an unusually brutal hurricane season.
The last time a hurricane made a landfall in the United States was in 2008 when Hurricane Ike hit Texas. That storm cost an estimated $24.9 billion in damage and dozens of lives in the US alone. Especially in a political environment where high-profile politicians are reluctant to spend money even to help natural disaster victims, the landing of a major hurricane could be a straw that breaks the camel's back.
According to the NY Times, extreme weather in the US including heatwaves and tornadoes have already killed 500 and cost $32 billion so far this year.