Hurricane season began on June 1, and meteorologists are predicting that stronger and wetter storms could impact New Jersey.

“The forecast is for a fairly typical hurricane season. A few things to keep in mind, even if it’s expected to be typical, it just takes one storm to cause all sorts of havoc,” says Dr. Steve Decker. “Regardless of what the forecast is, I would say no one should let their guard down.”

Forecasters say there are signs that the type of hurricane the world experiences could be changing. Storms are expected to head farther north.

“Hurricanes get their energy from the warmth of the ocean. A warmer ocean in a warming world will probably lead to storms that are both stronger and wetter,” says Dr. Anthony Broccoli.

Dr. Broccoli says that this is especially important to understand in New Jersey because it means that there is a great chance of a storm maintaining its strength and reaching the state.

The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration is calling for nine to 15 named storms this season. This includes four to eight hurricanes, with two to four being major hurricanes with winds greater than 110 mph.

Forecasters are expecting an El Nino to develop this year, which could be a factor in limiting hurricanes for 2019.