Monday, April 5th, 2004 — Property owners in coastal areas can expect an active hurricane season if a noted forecast team’s predictions hold up. The Atlantic basin’s 2004 hurricane season will see a total of 14 named storms, eight of which will become hurricanes, according to projections released Friday by the hurricane forecast team at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
The Atlantic basin’s hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30.
An average year sees 5.9 hurricanes and 9.6 named storms, according to the team, which is headed by Professor of Atmospheric Science William M. Gray.
The team’s current forecast says at least three “intense” hurricanes—those of Category 3 or greater--will develop during the 2004 season, compared with an annual average of 2.3 such storms.