NOAA Forecasts 9 To 14 Tropical Storms

Forecasters Predict 4 To 7 Hurricanes

WASHINGTON -- Hurricanes will strike the United States this season and Americans must be prepared, federal forecasters said Thursday. They predicted nine to 14 named tropical storms this year.

Current projections call for a near normal year for hurricanes, Gerry Bell, lead Atlantic hurricane forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said at a briefing. The named storms are expected to include 4 to 7 hurricanes of which 1 to 3 are likely to be major storms.

"Hurricane season is upon us. We need to communicate down to the personal level, preparedness, now is the time," said National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read.

Have a plan and follow it, he said, waiting to see if the forecast changes can mean life or death.

Added Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: "Hurricanes will make landfall in the United States, hurricanes will destroy homes, people need to heed the preparedness message and be ready to act,"

And Commerce Secretary Gary Locke noted that, "Today, more than 35 million Americans live in regions most threatened by Atlantic hurricanes."

Regardless of the total number of storms, Bell pointed out that "it only takes one to make it a very bad season."

People in hurricane-prone areas need to think about how these storms and their flooding might affect their lives, and to have a hurricane preparedness plan in place before the season begins, he said.

Hurricane season officially starts June 1. Last year there were 16 named storms, of which 8 grew into hurricanes and 5 were major. About 1,000 people lost their lives, mostly in flash flooding in the Caribbean.

NOAA's forecast comes just days after the Department of Homeland Security urged Americans to be prepared for hurricane season.

Competing climate factors complicate the forecast, Bell noted.

Raising the possibility of a busy season are an ongoing high-activity era that began in 1995, which includes enhanced rainfall over West Africa, warmer Atlantic waters and reduced wind shear.