Batten down the hatches, the hurricane forecasting team at Colorado State University is predicting an above-average 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.
Superyachts planning to be in waters south of Florida to Grenada may be forced to take evasive actions if the predictions are right.
The team of weather experts is suggesting an active season, based on current La Niña conditions and what influence it will exert during the heart of the hurricane season.
Predictions are for 16 named storms, to form in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30. Nine of those are expected to turn into hurricanes, with five developing into major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.
There is a:
- 61% chance of a major hurricane tracking into the Caribbean where the long-term average is 42%
- 72% chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline in 2011 where the long-term average probability is 52%.
- 48% chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. East Coast, including the Florida Peninsula where the long-term average is 31%
- 47 % chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle west to Brownsville, Texas where the long-term average is 30
