Posted on 04/02/2008 8:50:41 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The noted Colorado State University forecast team expects an above average Atlantic hurricane season and may raise its prediction of 13 tropical storms and seven hurricanes when it updates its outlook next week, the team's founder Bill Gray said on Wednesday.
La Nina cool-water conditions in the Pacific and higher sea surface temperatures in the eastern Atlantic are contributing to enhanced conditions for hurricane activity, Gray told Reuters at the U.S. National Hurricane Conference.
"We're expecting an above average season," Gray said. "The big question we have is, are we going to raise the numbers from our December forecast? We might."
"We're not going to lower the numbers," he said.
The average hurricane season produces about 10 tropical storms and six hurricanes -- a standard that was blown out of the water in the record-busting season of 2005, when 28 storms formed, including the hurricane that swamped New Orleans, Katrina.
The Colorado State team issues forecasts several times a year. In December, it said it expected the 2008 season starting June 1 to produce 13 tropical storms, of which seven would become hurricanes and three would be major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 miles per hour (178 km per hour).
Gray said La Nina, a cooling of waters in the eastern Pacific that can enhance conditions for hurricane activity in the Atlantic, will be "on the cold side."
"Also, the sea surface temperatures in the eastern Atlantic particularly off Iberia and off northwest Africa, they are very warm, much like they were at this time in 1995 and 2005 when we had very active seasons," he said.
Here comes the Hurricane season!
Gray has overestimated for ther last two years, let’s hope for three in a row. Got to give it to him for speaking out against the ‘Global Warming is causing more hurricanes’ nonsense though.
http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/
The Tropical Meteorology Project
The Tropical Meteorology Project is headed by Colorado State University’s Dr. William Gray. Professor Gray has worked in the observational and theoretical aspects of tropical meteorological research for more than 40 years. Most of this effort has gone to the investigation of meso-scale tropical weather phenomena. He has specialized in the global aspects of tropical cyclones for his entire professional career. Dr Gray received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, Dept. of Geophysical Sciences in 1964. He has been with Colorado State University’s Dept. of Atmospheric Science since 1961, and has been a professor since 1974.
Dr. Gray’s hurricane forecast has gained international attention, and won him the Neil Frank Award of the National Hurricane Conference in 1995. His Atlantic basin hurricane forecasts are published here. (Archived forecasts are available.)
http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts
Ya ya ya! That’s what he said the last 2 years in which was proven way off.
Does anybody care what he thinks anymore?
Dr William Gray - “Chicken Little Award” nominee.
False statement. Greed, graft, and government stupidity swamped New Orleans.
I pulled out a trusty old quarter and flipped it a number of times.
Here is my official hurricane forecast for the State of Florida: two hurricanes will hit the state, neither of them will be a Cat 4 or 5. There will also be a lot of Bud Light in the air.
Who is paying me for this forecast anyway???
This is obviously Bush’s fault. Cannot believe I was the first to say it.
I blame Gray’s predictions for the non-renewal of my homeowners insurance.
“Who is paying me for this forecast anyway???”
If you caught the quarter, you have already paid yourself.
What do you want to bet that they're going to be classifying water spouts as cat 4 and 5 "hurricanes" to justify their awful predictions?
His guess is almost as good as mine.
Another “expert” who will be proved full of shit.
That’s what they said last year...and that was a flop...I can get the cycle stats out of the Almanac and it’s better than their predictions. Maybe I’ll send them one.
Here are my predictions- a non-professional- and I expect to be roundly celebrated after I am proven 100% right.
There will be hurricanes in the Atlantic.
Those hurricane will have wind and rain in them.
Some of those hurricanes will hit land.
There-that’s what they ‘know’. The rest is self-perpetuating hype and a play for face time in the media.
Besides- whatever he ‘predicts’ won’t apply to the Gulf Coast anyway! We are constantly told( at least in the N.O. area) that Katrina gave us some kind of cosmic ‘pass’ for future hurricane hits. So I can’t imagine why we factor into the coming hurricane season at all.
Another seldom reported fact these days is that Katrina floodwater did destroy various parts of the city, AND it was the rampaging hordes of BLACKS that looted, burned and destroyed many private and corporate businesses throughout Orleans Parish. It was an intentional free-for-all of violent crime, property destruction and grand larceny the likes of which our Nation has never seen before. It can only be compared to the intentional British looting and burning of Washington DC in 1814. Much like the DC area back then, there were fires, explosions and looting everywhere. And like the DC destruction, the unnecessary annihilation can be isolated down to one particular group of people rather than a societal collective.
Most of these private businesses will probably never return to the city ever again. If they left, they will probably stay where they are. I know this firsthand because I work there, and can testify that most of the corporate sector is largely avoiding that town like Bubonic Plague, and the local jocal business owners refuse to come back due to the ridiculous taxes and violent crime that is so pervasive in Orleans Parish.
The New Orleans cops are as dirty as pigs too, pun intended.
So to the New Orleans whiners out there, your government is responsible for this continued disaster as well as your own residents.
But don't come to me about it. I work full time trying to clean up that nest of vipers.
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