Researchers Say We’re In for A Stormy September

Colorado State University hurricane researchers in an updated forecast announced this week that a total of five tropical storms would form in the Atlantic Ocean in September, which includes four hurricanes. Of those four hurricanes, two of them are expected to be major, with wind speeds above 110 mph. Major hurricanes are Categories 3, 4, and 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. 
 
"We’re calling for so much activity because we have a lot of pre-existing low-level spin in the atmosphere, which gives hurricanes the additional energy they need to form," said Phil Klotzbach of CSU’s Tropical Meteorological Project in a phone conversation Tuesday. "Water temperatures in the eastern Atlantic are also above normal," he added. Warm ocean water also contributes to hurricane formation. 
 
So far this season, four Atlantic hurricanes have developed: Bertha and Dolly in July, Gustav in August and Hanna in September. 
 
In addition to current storms Hanna, Ike and Josephine, Klotzbach said computer models are predicting that additional tropical systems will form in the Atlantic near Africa in coming weeks. 
 
For the entire season, the Colorado State team predicted that 17 named storms would form in the Atlantic, of which 9 would be hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes. 

Source: Source: USA Today | Published on September 4, 2008