FORT COLLINS, Colo.--This year's Atlantic hurricane season will be more active than average, with eight hurricanes forming, forecasters at the Tropical Meteorological Project at Colorado State University predicted Wednesday.
That's one more hurricane than the forecasting team predicted in its Dec. 7, 2007, projection. Of the eight hurricanes, four will grow to be intense hurricanes, according to the team. Once again, that is an increase of one intense hurricane over December's prediction.
"Information obtained through March 2008 indicates that the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will be much more active than the average 1950-2000 season," the team's report said. The team predicted that there is a 69% probability that at least one major hurricane--defined as a storm with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour--will make landfall somewhere on entire U.S. coastline this year, compared with an average 52% probability in the last century.
The report also calls for an "above-average major hurricane landfall risk" in the Caribbean this year.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
For reprints of this story, please contact Lauren Melesio at 212-210-0707 or email lmelesio@crain.com
