ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- Forecasters predict the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will be "near-normal," with four to seven hurricanes likely, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday, less than two weeks before the season begins.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters predict a 'near normal' hurricane season.
"While we cannot prevent hurricanes, we can prepare, and we must," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told reporters at Reagan National Airport, just outside of Washington.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through the end of November.
Locke said it is likely there will be nine to 14 named storms, with four to seven of those becoming hurricanes. Of the hurricanes, NOAA predicts that one to three will be major hurricanes -- storms classified as Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of storm intensity -- with winds of 111 mph or higher.
In 2008, there were 16 named storms and eight hurricanes, five of which were major. It was among the busiest and costliest seasons to date, with about $54 billion in damages, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
The weather agency had predicted a total of 12 to 16 storms last year. - CNN Story
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