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Hurricane predictions signal active season

 
Published April 9, 2013

Hurricane season begins June 1, but hurricane prediction season has already started.

William Gray, head of Colorado State's Tropical Meteorology Project, told the National Hurricane Conference last month that he's expecting an active Atlantic hurricane season and would release his detailed predictions on Wednesday.

Meanwhile the Weather Channel on Monday predicted a total of 16 named storms in the Atlantic, nine of which are expected to become hurricanes, including five major hurricanes.

Weather Channel forecasters acknowledged that that's above the long-term average from 1950-2012, but pointed out that in March they saw a sharp increase in sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic, which could fuel future hurricanes.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs until Nov. 30.