2013 May Be 'Extremely Active' Year for Hurricanes, NOAA Says

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday that 2013 will be "an active or extremely active" year for hurricanes.

The six-month hurricane season begins June 1 and the NOAA predicts a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 storms with winds 39 mph or higher, the threshold for giving a storm a name on the yearly alphabetized roster. Of the named storms, seven to 11 could develop into hurricanes (defined by winds of 74 mph or higher) and may result in as many as six major hurricanes.

NOAA's predictions are well above the traditional averages of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

"As we saw first-hand with Sandy, that tropical storm and hurricane impacts are not limited to the coastline. Strong winds, torrential rain, flooding, and tornadoes often threaten inland areas far from where the storm first makes landfall," Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA acting administrator, said in a statement.

A strong west African monsoon, warmer-than-average water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and lack of an El Niño year will all play into the strengthened hurricane activity, the NOAA reported.

The report does not predict how many hurricanes will make landfall or where they will strike.

New for this year's hurricane season are improvements on existing forecasting models, data gathering and the National Hurricane Center's communication procedure for post-tropical cyclones, the NOAA report stated.

In July, a new supercomputer that will run an upgraded Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting model is expected to provide significantly depiction of storm structure and improve storm intensity forecast guidance.

Next week is National Hurricane Preparedness Week. To help those living in hurricane-prone areas prepare, NOAA is providing hurricane preparedness tips, along with video and audio public service announcements in both English and Spanish, featuring NOAA hurricane experts and the FEMA administrator at www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/.

Joe Nimmich, FEMA associate administrator for Response and Recovery said, "Preparedness today can make a big difference down the line, so update your family emergency plan and make sure your emergency kit is stocked."

Hurricane preparedness information is available at www.ready.gov/hurricanes.