‘Above normal’ season of hurricanes predicted

WASHINGTON – Expect another busy Atlantic hurricane season, government forecasters said Thursday.

Hurricane season officially begins June 1, and the early forecast predicts an “above normal, and possibly an extremely active” hurricane season, said Kathryn Sullivan, the acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency predicts 13 to 20 named storms, seven to 11 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes of a category three or higher.

Last year, four major storms made landfall in the United States: Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy and Tropical Storms Beryl and Debby.

McClatchy-Tribune