North America faces up to four "major" hurricanes in 2004: forecasters

MIAMI (AFP) May 18, 2004
US forecasters predicted Tuesday that six to eight hurricanes will swirl this year in the Atlantic near the United States and the Caribbean, and up to four could be classified as "major."

"The season outlook is for 12 to 15 tropical storms, with six to eight systems becoming hurricanes, and two to four of those major hurricanes," said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The winds in a major hurricane blow at 178 kilometers (111 miles) per hour or more. A storm is classified as a hurricane when winds rage at at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour.

The hurricane season lasts from June to November in North America and the Caribbean.

Last year, seven hurricanes swept through the Atlantic, including Hurricane Isabel, in September, which caused more than three billion dollars in damages and left 17 people dead along the east coast.

NOAA's prediction is similar to the outlook of a top hurricane expert, William Gray of Colorado State University.

Gray predicted in April that three major hurricanes will form and will be classified in at least the third category of the Saffir-Simpson scale, which has five levels.

Gray said there was a 71 percent chance that a major hurricane will hit the United States this year.

TERRA.WIRE