Experts Predict an Average Hurricane Season in 2009

Hopeful Outlook for 2009

The hurricane forecast team of Colorado State University recently released their predictions for the 2009 hurricane season: they expect twelve named storms in the Atlantic basin, with six of them to develop into hurricanes. They expect two of those six to develop into major hurricanes (meaning Categories 3, 4 or 5 with maximum wind speeds of 111 miles per hour or greater). Since 1950, there have been ten named storms (of which six became hurricanes and two of those six major hurricanes) in the typical Atlantic hurricane season, which would make the forecast for 2009 to be an average storm season. The current forecast estimates the probability of a major hurricane making landfall along the U.S. coastline to be about 54%, which is roughly equal to the 52% occurrence of this past century.  The National Hurricane Center has assigned the following names to the 2009 Atlantic hurricanes:

• Ana
• Bill
• Claudette
• Danny
• Erika
• Fred
• Grace
• Henri
• Ida
• Joaquin
• Kate
• Larry
• Mindy
• Nicholas
• Odette
• Peter
• Rose
• Sam
• Teresa
• Victor
• Wanda