(Bloomberg) – The coming Atlantic hurricane season should produce a near-average 12 named storms before it ends in November, said Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the pioneering Colorado State University forecast.

At least five of those storms will reach hurricane status, and two of them will become Category 3 or stronger systems on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. A disturbance gets a name when its cyclonic winds reach 39 mph, which is when it also is classified a tropical storm.

Klotzbach, lead author of the seasonal outlook developed by William Gray, said this year was a difficult one to predict.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

  • All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
  • Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
  • Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Catastrophe & Restoration
Commercial Lines
E&S/Specialty
Personal Lines
Weather Risk