U.S. government forecasters say the rest of the Atlantic
hurricane season is likely to be busy, with an above-average
number of storms. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration forecasters said Thursday they expect up to 19
named storms to develop by the end of the season Nov. 30. There
have been five so far. Seven to 10 of the forecast storms could
become hurricanes. The six-month Atlantic hurricane season began
June 1, but the peak period for hurricanes runs from August
through October. The lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center in Washington says key climate
factors support forecasters' expectations. Those factors include
exceptionally warm ocean temperatures and the possible
redevelopment of La Niña, a weather phenomenon that reduces wind
shear over the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic. (Copyright
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