NU Online News Service, July 21, 2:27 p.m. EDT
Weather Services International (WSI) is now calling for 19 named storms, slightly downgrading its initial predictions in response to a slow start to the 2010 hurricane season.
WSI calls for "an extremely active" season in August through October with 19 named storms, including 11 hurricanes and five intense hurricanes of Category 3 status or greater.
"While all of the primary drivers are strongly enabling for tropical activity, we have had a slow start relative to other very active seasons," said Todd Crawford, WSI's chief meteorologist, in a statement. "A pocket of very dry air in the tropical Atlantic will likely limit development in the near term."
In June WSI predicted 20 named storms.
The 2010 forecast is above the long-term averages of 10 named storms, six hurricanes and two intense hurricanes.
Working with reinsurer Guy Carpenter, WSI's landfall model predicts the coastal region from North Carolina to Maine is twice as likely as normal to experience a hurricane this year. The threat of landfall is about the same as in Florida and the Gulf Coast states, WSI said.
WSI, of Andover, Mass., is a member of The Weather Channel Companies.
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