US:This year's Atlantic hurricane season will be far more active than usual with nine hurricanes, and the US has an above-average chance of being hit by a major storm, a closely watched forecasting team has said.
In an updated outlook, the Colorado State University forecasters led by pioneer researcher William Gray said the June 1st-November 30th season would produce 17 tropical storms. Of the nine hurricanes forecast, five will be major, of category 3 or higher with winds of more than 177 km/h (110mph).
If true, 2007 could mark a return to the destructive seasons of 2004, when four strong hurricanes hit Florida, and 2005, the year of Katrina, after a mild 2006 when only 10 storms formed; 2005 was a record-breaking season with 28 storms and 15 hurricanes.
The CSU forecasters said the disappearance of the El Niño warm-water phenomenon in the eastern Pacific, which dampened Atlantic hurricane activity last year, and warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures lay behind their upgraded forecast. - (Reuters)