Hurricane season forecast

Forecasters at the Colorado State University are predicting an average 2009 Atlantic hurricane season with 12 named storms and six hurricanes forming in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.



The researchers, led by Phil Klotzbach, have downgraded their forecast for an above-active season with 14 named storms, citing weak La Nina conditions.

Klotzbach said two of the six hurricanes are expected to develop into major storms with maximum wind speeds of 111 miles per hour or greater.



Ana is the first named storm of the season that runs from June 1 to November 30.



In 2008, the Colorado State forecasters predicted 15 named storms in the Atlantic, of which eight would be hurricanes and half of them major.

The season ended with 16 named storms, of which eight were hurricanes and five were major hurricanes.



The United States federal National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is scheduled to release its hurricane forecast on May 21.