Oldmarrieds: Forecaster Predicts Above-Average Hurricane Activity In October

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Forecaster Predicts Above-Average Hurricane Activity In October

Colorado State University hurricane researcher William Gray predicted there will be two more hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean this month, one of them a major storm.

The long-term average for October is one hurricane.Gray and fellow researcher Philip Klotzbach say the likelihood of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coastline is 49 percent, compared with an average of 29 percent from 1950 to 2000.The probability of a hurricane making landfall in the U.S. is 21 percent, compared with the long-term average of 15 percent.Through the end of September, this season has had nine hurricanes, five of them major, and 17 named storms.Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina and Rita were this year's major hurricanes that made landfall. Ophelia hit the North Carolina coast as a Category 1 hurricane, though its eye remained just offshore.