Only six more to go

Six more hurricanes, that is.

Hurricane expert William Gray downgraded his 2007 Atlantic storms forecast slightly Tuesday, but he still predicted above-average activity for the remaining three months of the season, with six more hurricanes, three of them major.

One of those hurricanes was lashing the coast of Honduras on Tuesday as a powerful Category 5 storm named Felix, said forecaster Phil Klotzbach, a member of Gray's team at Colorado State University.

Klotzbach said a combination of a weak La Nina and low pressure readings in the Atlantic usually indicated an active 2007 season.

The first two months of the Atlantic hurricane season, June and July, had average activity with two named storms but no hurricanes. August was about average, with one hurricane, Dean, which grew into a Category 5 storm before hitting Central America.

Well, I like the trend, anyway. Won't be of much consolation to the folks who've had to live through Felix or Henriette, though. And there's always something else to worry about. So stay tuned.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on September 05, 2007 to Hurricane Katrina