El Niño is associated with fewer tropical hurricanes in the Atlantic because it strengthens upper-level westerly winds, producing stronger wind shear that can tear apart developing storms.
Notes on verification
Well-corroborated by multiple NOAA sources (NWS, AOML, Climate.gov) and grounded in established climatology (Gray 1984 mechanism of wind shear suppression).
Sources
- What You Need to Know about El Niño (blog.education.nationalgeographic.com)
- https://www.weather.gov/jan/el_nino_and_la_nina (weather.gov)
- https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/how-does-el-nino-impact-atlantic-hurricane-season/ (aoml.noaa.gov)
- https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/impacts-el-nino-and-la-nina-hurricane-season (climate.gov)
- https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/el_nino/ (aoml.noaa.gov)