Forecasters predict quiet hurricane season for 2014

DENVER, CO — Top forecasters from Colorado State University are predicting a quiet 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, suggesting that nine tropical storms will form, but only three will become full-blown hurricanes, according to USA Today.

The forecast follows two consecutive poor forecasts: The 2012 season, when more than twice as many hurricanes formed as had been predicted, and the 2013 season, when only two hurricanes formed after a spring prediction of nine, the article stated.

According to the article, a typical year, based on weather records dating to 1950, has 12 tropical storms, of which seven become hurricanes.

"The tropical Atlantic has … cooled over the past several months, and the chances of a moderate to strong El Niño event this summer and fall appear to be quite high. Historical data indicate fewer storms form in these conditions," said meteorologist Philip Klotzbach from Colorado State University's Tropical Meteorology Project.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, the article noted.

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