This year's hurricane season is expected to be “near normal,” with experts predicting the summer and fall will see between 12 to 16 named storms.

But experts at the Canadian Hurricane Centre are urging Atlantic Canadians to be ready for anything because it only takes one bad storm to make it a bad season.

“Hurricane season is coming up and we have to prepare for it regardless of the forecasted number,” Canadian Hurricane Centre meteorologist Bob Robichaud told reporters at a news conference in Halifax Friday.

Last year’s El Nino weather system reduced the number of named tropical storms in the Atlantic Basin to 11, from the typical 12. That included four storms that grew into full hurricanes, including two that became major hurricanes.

The worst of those storms was Hurricane Joaquin, which developed in late September. While it had no major impacts in Canada, Joaquin contributed to the sinking of the El Faro cargo ship, killing 33 crew members.

This year, Robichaud says the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is calling for 12 to 16 named storms, four to eight of which they expect will become hurricanes, including one to four that will likely become major hurricanes.

He said last year’s strong El Nino warmed the Pacific Ocean waters, leading to fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic. The 2014 hurricane season also saw fewer storms than normal.

But this year, El Nino is being followed by an El Nina, which creates colder-than-normal water.

“Typically, when we have an El Nino, we have fewer hurricanes; when we have an El Nina, we tend to have more hurricanes. So that’s what’s shaping up already this season,” Robichaud said.

Although hurricane season officially starts on June 1, the 2016 season has already seen its first storm, Hurricane Alex.

“Alex was a January-forming hurricane, a very rare event,” said Robichaud.

He added the expectation is the hurricane season will pick up in late August and hit a peak in mid-September.

Robichaud said, in the end, it doesn’t matter what the forecasts say, hurricanes can be unpredictable. That’s why he urged Atlantic Canadians to know their risks, get an emergency kit, and make an escape plan.

“It doesn’t matter how many storms are out there; it only takes one to make it a really bad year if that storm hits you or your family,” he said.