CATEGORY:WEATHER PREDICTIONS ------------------------------------ INSIDE GRENADA SUNDAY May 27,2007 by Wallace J.A The hurricane forecast team at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, headed by William Gray, has predicted a very active hurricane season this year – from June 1 to November 30. The team of experts anticipates that some 17 named storms will be formed in the Atlantic Basin this year. Nine of these systems should become hurricanes and five of them are expected to grow into major hurricanes with wind speed exceeding 111 mph or 178 kilometers per hour. Last year, Gray’s team had predicted a very active hurricane season and had many people scuttling to make the requisite preparations following the unprecedented 2005 season. That year witnessed some of the most destructive hurricanes in history which included the infamous Hurricane Katrina. Contrary to their warnings, however, 2006 turned out to be a relatively mild season with only five hurricanes being formed. Gray explained that the imprecise forecast for last year was caused by El Niño, which suddenly became a major factor in August. El Niño is a periodic warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that influences global weather patterns, including an increase in upper-atmospheric winds that can suppress hurricane formation. This year, El Niño is replaced by its cold water sister, La Niña, which is conducive to hurricane formation. Despite the erroneous predictions for the 2006 season, Gray and his team of experts are convinced that they are on the button with this year’s predictions. It is against this background that they are advising everyone to not grow complacent but instead should batten down and make the necessary preparations for the upcoming season.