"Despite the lower predictions, residents living along the US coastline should always be prepared for major storms," said William Gray, one of the two co-authors of the forecast report.

The experts said 13 named storms would form in the Atlantic basin during the six-month season that started on June 1.

Five of the storms are predicted to become hurricanes, two of them intense, the experts said.

The long-term average is 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year.

Last year set several records with 28 named storms, including 15 hurricanes, seven of which were intense.

"Current conditions in the Atlantic indicate that we will now see a slightly below-average hurricane season with far less activity than was experienced in each of the last two years," said Philip Klotzbach, one of the report's authors.

The team had initially predicted 17 named storms and nine hurricanes, five of them intense.

The season has come to a slow start, with Ernesto, now a tropical storm blowing over the eastern United States, becoming the first Atlantic hurricane of the year for a day on August 27.

But the next two months could get more intense.

"We predict Sepember and October will exhibit characteristics of a more average year based on the activity so far this season and climate signals through August," said Klotzbach.

Sepember should see plenty of storm activity, with five named storms and three hurricanes, two of them major, the experts said.

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