NOAA predictions

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Centre is forecasting a 75 per cent chance that the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season will be near or above normal.

Forecasters predict a 35 per cent chance of an above-normal season, a 40 per cent chance of a near-normal season, and a 25 per cent chance of a below-normal season for the upcoming hurricane season, which extends from June 1 to November 30.

"With the advances made in hardware and computing over the course of the last year, the ability of NOAA scientists to both predict the path of storms and warn Americans who may find themselves in harm's way is unprecedented," said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. "The devastating hurricane season of 2017 demonstrated the necessity for prompt and accurate hurricane forecasts."

NOAA's forecasters predict a 70 per cent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms (winds of 39mph or higher), of which five to nine could become hurricanes (winds of 74mph or higher), including one to four major hurricanes (Category Three, Four or Five; with winds of 111mph or higher). An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

Source - http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/forecasters-predict-near-or-above-norm...