The 2013 hurricane season is still more than a month away, but predictions have been released on how active it will be. On average for the last thirty years, there have been about 12 named tropical storms, that is, storms with peak winds of 40 miles per hour or greater, of which six become hurricanes with peak winds of 74 miles per hour or greater, and approximately three become major hurricanes, ranked Category 3 or higher with sustained winds of over 130 miles per hour or greater.

On Friday, Tropical Storm Risk (TSR), a public consortium consisting of experts on insurance, risk management and seasonal climate forecasting at University College London issued its second forecast predicting 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes, which would be considered an above-average season.

The prediction is the same as that previously issued in December and is based on forecasted slower than average trade winds and warmer than normal sea surface temperatures. Noted hurricane experts Philip J. Klotzbach, William M. Gray, and their associates at Colorado State University are yet to issue their annual forecast.

Forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S. are also due. 2012 saw nineteen named storms, ten hurricanes and two major hurricanes, the most destructive of which was Hurricane Sandy which swept through the East Coast of the United States one week before its presidential election last October.

The names on the hurricane list for 2013 are: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen , Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy.

2013 Caribbean Hurricane Threat Prediction

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2013 Hurricane Threat Prediction

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