NU Online News Service, Aug. 24, 3:07 p.m. EDT
As Hurricane Irene, the ninth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, spins violently in the Bahamas, WSI (Weather Services International) has upped its tropical forecast to 18 named storms while admitting that amount may still be an underestimation.
Andover, Mass.-based WSI, a member of The Weather Channel Cos., released a forecast of 15 named storms in May. Its prediction for eight hurricanes and 4 intense hurricanes (Category 3 or more) remains unchanged.
With nine named storms already this year, well before the midpoint of the season, WSI "had no choice but to increase our named storms forecast from 15 to 18—and the current pace suggests that even this number may be too low," says Todd Crawford, WSI's chief meteorologist.
Warmer-than-normal Atlantic water temperatures, very low surface pressures in the hurricane development region and no El Nino event all bode well for a "quite active" tropical activity, Crawford adds.
Crawford says the Gulf Coast is under the greatest threat for the remainder of the season, as "persistent atmospheric blocking in the North Atlantic" that has prevented U.S. landfalls the past two years relaxes as September arrives.
"Our recent good fortune in avoiding land-falling hurricanes is not likely to last," he says.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.