The hurricane season officially starts in one week and forecasters agree it'll be a busy one. Noted hurricane expert William Gray has predicted there will be 17 named storms with 10 becoming hurricanes and 5 becoming major hurricanes. It is a dire prediction but one which was made last year and all things considered 2006 was quiet in the Atlantic. But this year, Belizean forecaster Frank Tench says all conditions are right for a rough season in the Atlantic.
Frank Tench,
"Last year we had a very surprise El Nino event which occurred around August and proceeded to the end of the year and into February of this year. We've now come out of that El Nino episode and we're now in a neutral phase with a tendency towards La Nina phase. Generally speaking, the La Nina phase promotes more hurricanes and tropical storms. Another factor we're looking at that could contribute to a active hurricane season is sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic which are already warm and there is also another factor, the North Atlantic Oscillation when tends to enhance hurricanes in an active season."
And while the hurricane season doesn't start until next week, the first storm of the season has already been named. It was Andrea and it formed last week on the eastern coast of the United States.
