There's a 74 percent chance that more storms than normal will hit the continental U.S., the report by Tropical Storm Risk said.
“At present, every main indicator points to hurricane activity being well-above norm in 2010,” the report said.
The forecast joins a growing number of predictions that the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1, will be among the most-active on record. Academic and commercial forecasters including Colorado State University are calling for the storm total to range from 14 to 18 named storms by the time the season ends Dec. 1.
In an average year, 11 systems develop into named storms with winds of at least 39 mph (62 kph), with six of them reaching the 74-mph threshold for hurricanes and two growing into major storms with winds of 111 mph or more, according to the National Hurricane Center. The 1950 to 2009 average is 10 storms, six hurricanes and three major systems.