April 7 (Reuters) - The Colorado State University hurricane research team lowered its forecast for the 2009 Atlantic season on Tuesday, predicting 12 tropical storms would form and that six would become hurricanes.
Most forecasters are predicting the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30, will be less active than last year but busier than an average season.
Last year was one of the most active seasons on record, with 16 tropical storms. Eight of those became hurricanes and five grew to Category 3 or higher, the most destructive type.
The following are the latest predictions for 2009: ———————————————————————————————
Tropical Storms Hurricanes Major Hurricanes ——————————————————————————————— CSU 12 6 2 TSR 15 7.8 3.6 AccuWeather 13 8 2 WRC 7 4 — WSI 13 7 3 NOAA — — — UK Met — — — ——————————————————————————————— NOAA (U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) will issue a preseason forecast on May 21. CSU (Colorado State University team led by William Gray and Philip Klotzbach) forecast issued April 7, update due June 2. TSR (London-based Tropical Storm Risk) forecast issued April 6. WSI Corp., based in Andover, Massachusetts, issued forecast Dec. 23, 2008. AccuWeather forecast issued March 18. WRC (Houston-based Weather Research Center) forecast issued April 6. The UK Met Office will issue a forecast in June. (Reporting by Jim Loney)
