Hurricane Season: NOAA Forecasts Up to Six Major Atlantic Storms

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Hurricane Frances from space, August 2004.

The upcoming hurricane season, spanning from June 1 to November 30, might be a rocky one.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency that studies the weather and the oceans, has just released its outlook for the incoming 2011 hurricane season, and it’s not going to be good.

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The prediction calls for 12 to 18 named storms (with winds above 39 mph), six to ten of those could evolve into hurricanes with winds equal or faster than 74 mph. In three to six cases, those they could evolve into major, those gut wrenching monsters whose winds howl above 111 mph.

Craig Fugate, FEMA administrator, encourages residents along the Atlantic coast to be prepared for a disaster. Head to ready.gov to learn more.

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