Expect more storms this Atlantic hurricane season

More storms are expected during the coming Atlantic hurricane season which should be "near-normal," after three years of unusually low storm activity, US government scientists said today.
The Atlantic could see 10 to 16 tropical storms, of which four to eight could become hurricanes, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center.
Between one and four of the storms could become major hurricanes of Category Three or higher on a scale of 1-5.
Wind speed in a Category Three hurricane reaches 111-129 miles per hour (178-208 kilometers per hour), with the potential to uproot trees and cause devastating damage to buildings and homes.

The end of the warming climate pattern El Nino and the arrival of the cooling trend in the equatorial Pacific known as La Nina could favor the increase in hurricane activity, said NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan.
"We could be in for more activity than we have seen in recent years," she told reporters, but noted that the forecast "makes no prediction with respect to landfalls or tracks at this point."

The federal agency acknowledged some overall uncertainty in the forecast, and said its predictions were made with 70 percent likelihood.
"This is a more challenging hurricane season outlook than most because it's difficult to determine whether there will be reinforcing or competing climate influences on tropical storm development," said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through November 30.
The 2015 season was considered below average with 11 tropical storms in the Atlantic, of which four became hurricanes, and two became major hurricanes.
The long-term average, taken over the years 1981-2010, typically allows for 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and four major hurricanes.
NOAA will issue another, updated Atlantic hurricane forecast in early August, just before the storm season reaches its peak.