Weather Forecasters Agree on Active 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Weather Service International [WSI] forecasters predicted an active 2011 Atlantic hurricane season Tuesday, with 15 named storms, eight of which are expected to become hurricanes.

Of these, four are expected to develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the WSI team said in its latest forecast for the 2011 season lasting from June 1 to Nov. 30.

The 2010 season, one of the most active in recent decades, experienced 19 named storms. Of those storms, 12 became hurricanes, five of them major.

The following are the latest predictions for 2011:
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Tropical Storms Hurricanes Major Hurricanes
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*CSU 16 9 5
AccuWeather 15 8 3
WSI 15 8 4
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WSI (Andover, Massachusetts) issued April 26.

*CSU – Colorado State University team led by William Gray and Philip Klotzbach, issued on April 6.

AccuWeather forecast issued March 30.
(Compiled by the Miami Bureau; Editing by Lisa Shumaker