Technology > Forecast: Hurricane Season Far From Over

Hurricane Forecasters Warn More Major Storms Are Likely, Predict 'Near-Record' Activity

President Bush speaks during a briefing with government officials on damage from Hurricane Katrina in Mobile, Al., Friday, Sept. 2, 2005. Bush is touring the Gulf Coast communities battered by Hurricane Katrina, hoping to boost the spirits of increasingly

"The very active season we have seen to this point is far from over," researcher Philip Klotzbach said. "We expect that by the time the 2005 hurricane season is over, we will witness seasonal tropical cyclone activity at near-record levels."

The school's hurricane forecast team of William Gray and Klotzbach said there is a 43 percent chance an intense hurricane will hit the U.S. coast in September and a 15 percent chance in October. The long-term average is 27 percent in September and 6 percent in October.

The forecasters predicted five named storms four of them hurricanes and two of those major for September, traditionally the most active month for hurricanes. The team predicted three named storms, two hurricanes and one major hurricane in October.

The Atlantic hurricane season already has seen 13 named storms, including Maria, which formed Friday. Four storms became hurricanes. The 50-year average per season from 1950 to 2000 is 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes.

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2005-09-03