Atlantic hurricane season begins: La Nina may fuel most active season in 3 years

June marks the first month of the hurricane season and experts are warning people living along the Atlantic coast to prepare for what could be the most active hurricane season in three years - with 14 named storms and four major hurricanes forecast for the summer.

Meteorologists are monitoring a weather pattern that would be a game changer for hurricane season in the Atlantic. According to AccuWeather, experts say it is now“more than likely” for the El Niño weather pattern to transition to a La Niña, a change from the spring when experts were unsure whether or not the transition would occur.

La Niña is characterized by below-normal water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the equator, increasing the potential for a higher-than-normal amount of tropical systems in the Atlantic.

"There's even more information now strongly suggesting that there's at least a 75 to 80 percent chance that we will go into a La Niña pattern," AccuWeather Atlantic Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.

2016 has already seen two named storms in the Atlantic, starting in January with hurricane Alex, followed by tropical storm Bonnie last week.

"Historically, some hurricane seasons that have followed a transition from El Niño to La Niña have been very active,” Kottlowski said. “ It's possible we could flip from one extreme to the other, from below-normal seasons the past three years to an above-normal year in 2016," he said.

In 2015, the Atlantic region saw 11 named storms in total, of which four became hurricanes and two became major hurricanes.

Historical data also indicates that seasons which are active during the months of May, June and July have a higher likelihood of becoming a normal or above-normal season, according to Accuweather.

Meteorologists are monitoring the northwestern Caribbean and eastern Gulf of Mexico for potential development next week. Should a storm develop, it will take the name Colin.

Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Atlantic hurricane season begins: La Nina may fuel most active season in 3 years."