FACTBOX: Forecasts for 2007 Atlantic hurricane season
(Reuters) - Private weather forecaster WSI Corp. on Tuesday reduced its forecast for the number of tropical storms and hurricanes it expects to form in the Atlantic basin during the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season.
"Because the ocean temperatures (in the tropical Atlantic) have not yet rebounded from the significant drop in late spring, we have decided to reduce our forecast numbers slightly," said Todd Crawford, a WSI seasonal forecaster.
Other forecasters have also eased back on their forecasts for the number of storms expected between June and November, citing in the main cooler-than-forecast Atlantic sea surface temperatures. But most still predict an above-average year.
Following are the latest predictions for 2007: --------------------------------------------------------------
Tropical Storms Hurricanes Major Hurricanes -------------------------------------------------------------- NOAA 13 to 17 7 to 10 3 to 5 CSU 17 (prev 17) 9 (prev 9) 5 (prev 5) TSR 14.7 (prev 16.1) 7.9 (prev 8.9) 3.5 (prev 4) WSI 14 (prev 15) 6 (prev 8) 3 (prev 4) WRC 7 4 2 UK Met 10 - - -------------------------------------------------------------- NOAA forecast issued May 22. Next update expected August 9. CSU (Colorado State University team led by William Gray) forecast revised May 31. Next update due August 3. TSR (London-based Tropical Storm Risk) forecast revised July 4. Next update due August 6. WSI Corp. forecast revised July 24. WRC (Houston-based Weather Research Center) issues just one seasonal outlook based on solar cycles. The UK Met Office, a newcomer to the field of hurricane season forecasting, on June 19 predicted 10 storms between July and November 2007. It did not predict intensities.
