Quote: Daniel, if the seas are trending warmer for this season, and all other factors being equal to other years, do you think that this makes it more likely that the number of storms would be higher, that the intensity of storms would be higher, or both?
Warmer SSTs could lead to more intense Tropical Cyclones. Emphasis on 'could'. There is some certainty on the intensification(s) of Tropical Cyclones over warm core eddies and the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current. The most recent references being Katrina and Rita of the 2005 season.
Watching the SSTs provides subtle indications of where a storm 'might' intensify in the GOM. Another of the SST parameters is the depth of the warm waters. I believe they call it the 26 C isotherm. I'll try to find some links.