Government forecasts more hurricanes this year

By Christopher Doering

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
will be worse than previously expected, with as many as 21
tropical storms and 11 hurricanes, the U.S. government
predicted on Tuesday.

“Although we have already seen a record-setting seven
tropical storms during June and July, much of the season’s
activity is still to come,” said Gerry Bell, a National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist told reporters.

In May, NOAA predicted the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
would be above normal, with 12 to 15 tropical storms and seven
to nine hurricanes.

The new forecast would mean a record number of named
tropical storms, based on atmospheric conditions and ocean
temperatures. The previous record was 19 tropical storms in
1995, according to NOAA.

“It’s certainly reasonable to expect above-normal hurricane
seasons for the next decade or perhaps even longer,” Bell said.

Tropical disturbances and storms often form off the west
coast of Africa, then move west toward the Caribbean and the
United States as they strengthen.

NOAA officials said they could not predict how many of the
storms would hit the U.S. coast.

A study published Sunday in the science journal Nature said
hurricanes have become more destructive during the last 30
years, and could see their intensity increase as a result of
global warming.