Forecasters see 17 Atlantic tropical storms in 2008

02 September 2008 16:22  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Forecasters at Colorado State University (CSU) raised on Tuesday the number of storms that they expect to form in the Atlantic basin.

The university now expects 17 tropical storms to form in the Atlantic basin, up from 15 it forecast on 3 June. So far, 10 named storms have formed in the Atlantic basin.

The US is vulnerable to tropical weather, with much of its crude oil and natural gas production located in the Gulf of Mexico.

All oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut in due to Hurricane Gustav, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) said.

It expects nine hurricanes to form, up from its earlier forecast of eight and more than double the four that have so far formed this year.

Out of this year's hurricanes, five will be major, meaning that they will have wind speeds of at least 111 miles/hour (179km/hour)

Earlier, the university predicted the season would have four major hurricanes.

The school's meteorologists said there was a 42% chance that a major hurricane would make landfall on the Gulf coast, which stretches from Brownsville, Texas, to the Florida panhandle.

The Atlantic hurricane season lasts through 30 November.

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By: Al Greenwood
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