Federal officials have downgraded original
projections for the 2006 Atlantic Hurricane Season to 12 to 15
named storms, of which seven to nine would become hurricanes,
including three or four becoming major hurricanes with winds of 111
mph or higher. The original forecast called for 13 to 16 named
storms.
The revised
prediction was based on factors that included sea surface
temperatures.
Already, at the
midpoint in the six-month season, Tropical Storms Alberto, Beryl
and Chris have come and gone with little impact. By this point in
the 2005 season, there had been nine named storms and four
hurricanes.
Despite the recent
lull in activity, officials from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration warned that the threat still remained
real for an above-average hurricane season, as has been the case
for the last nine of 11 years.
This is not a time
for complacency, said Max Mayfield, director of NOAAs National
Hurricane Center in Miami.
The peak storm
period runs from mid-August to mid-October, although the season
does not officially end until Nov. 30.
To
contact reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].
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