NOAA calls for active 2008 hurricane season

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is calling for a near or above normal 2008 hurricane season, according to predictions released today.

The outlook calls for considerable activity, with a 60- to 70-percent chance of 12 to 16 named storms, including six to nine hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes.

An average season has 11 named storms, including six hurricanes, two of which reach major states.

"It doesn't predict whether, when or where any of these storms may hit land, said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, speaking in Tampa this morning.

That is the job of the National Hurricane Center, which will issue predictions about strength and location after a storm forms.

Experts caution against putting too much stock into seasonal predictions. The key is to be prepared.

"If the one storm that hits the United States hits your neighborhood, you better be ready," said Louis Uccellini, director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

--Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

Dr. Gerry Bell, Lead Seasonal Atlantic Hurricane Forecaster NOAA Climate Prediction Center, walks past one of the NOAA hurricane hunter planes after a press conference at MacDill Air Force Base. [Ken Helle, Times]