A “near-normal” forecast has become an “above-normal” forecast as this year’s hurricane season enters its peak period. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday upgraded its forecast for the season, which started June 1 and will end Nov. 30. “Forecasters believe that current ocean and atmospheric conditions, such as record-warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures, are likely to counterbalance the usually limiting atmospheric conditions associated with the ongoing El Nino event,” the federal agency said in a news release.