How Many Hurricanes? Above Average Seasons Now the Norm By Meteorologist Chris Bianchi Nationwide PUBLISHED 4:37 PM ET Mar. 08, 2021 PUBLISHED 4:37 PM EST Mar. 08, 2021 SHARE The average number of full season named storms in the Atlantic basin will increase this year, largely thanks to a busy decade of tropical activity in the basin. What You Need To Know The National Hurricane Center's official number of named storms is increasing A busy 2010-2020 hurricane stretch is largely the reason for the increase The new average number of named storms is increasing from 12 to 14 With the start of a new decade comes a new set of climatological averages.