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MIAMI, June 1 (Reuters) - Colorado State University forecasters predicted there would be 16 tropical storms during the Atlantic hurricane season that began on Wednesday, with nine growing into hurricanes.
The CSU team predicted five of those would become "major" hurricanes of Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, with winds of 111 miles (178 km) per hour or more.
The forecast for the six-month hurricane season was unchanged from the CSU team's April forecast, but still anticipates a busier than average season.
"We continue to anticipate an above-average probability of United States and Caribbean major hurricane landfall," said William Gray, who pioneered CSU's seasonal forecasts.
There was a 72 percent chance that a major hurricane would hit somewhere on the U.S. coast this year, based on historical averages, the CSU forecasters said. (Compiled by the Miami Bureau)
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