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Forecasters Predict 'Active' Hurricane Season This Year

By Molly Daly

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Federal forecasters are predicting an active hurricane season.

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 13 to 20 named storms (also known as tropical storms) and seven to 11 hurricanes, three to six of them major.

Accuweather Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston says those numbers are in line with what Accuweather predicted earlier this month. But, "We are forecasting a higher than average hurricane season. Now, that doesn't always mean it's going to have a major impact on the United States, just because it's abnormally active."

Boston says temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea are playing a big role in the forecast.

"The water temperatures, as of May, are actually running warmer than normal, so that is a plus as far as tropical storm and hurricane development goes," which could be a minus for us.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st through November 30th.

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