WSI raises 2011 hurricane forecast, says Gulf Coast at high risk

摘要

Washington - Private weather forecaster WSI Wednesday raised its 2011 Atlantic hurricane forecast to 18 named storms, eight hurricanes and four intense hurricanes of Category 3 or above from its earlier prediction of 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes. "Before Irene, this season had been characterized by a slew of weak/moderate tropical storms. To date, we have already had nine named storms and we're still two to three weeks away from the mid-point of the season," WSI Chief Meteorologist Todd Crawford said in a statement. "Because of this, we had no choice but to increase our named storms forecast from 15 to 18; and the current pace suggests that even this number may be too low. Most of the important drivers for tropical activity continue to indicate that the remainder of the season should be quite active, including warmer-than-normal North Atlantic water temperatures, very low surface pressures in the main development region and no impending El Nino event."