(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-04-10 10:50

A noted hurricane research team warned of a "well above average" storm season in the northwest Atlantic with 15 tropical storms, including eight hurricanes, half of them major, according to media reports Thursday.

A noted hurricane research team warned of a "well above average" storm season in the northwest Atlantic with 15 tropical storms, including eight hurricanes, half of them major. [File Photo]

The University of Colorado team led by William Gray, who has been in the hurricane predicting business for 25 years, said there's a better than average chance that at least one major hurricane will hit the United States.

"The Atlantic is a bit warmer than in the past couple of years," said Phil Klotzbach, a member of the forecast team. "That is something we would like to keep an eye on."

The historical average for the Atlantic hurricane season is 9.6 named tropical storms, 5.9 of which become hurricanes and 2.3 of which are major storms.

"Based on our latest forecast, the probability of a major hurricane making landfall along the US coastline is 69 percent compared with the last-century average of 52 percent," said Klotzbach.

"We are calling for a very active hurricane season this year, but not as active as the 2004 and 2005 seasons," he added.

The 2007 Atlantic season saw 15 named storms, six of which became hurricanes. Two were major storms.