Four hurricanes expected in September

Hurricane Gustav may be on his way out, but more company is due to arrive. Up to five named storms are expected in September, according to the Colorado State University forecast team. Four of those will become hurricanes; two will become major (Category 3-5) hurricanes. Overall, the forecast team expects activity at about 190% of the September average, according to a Colorado State University release. “We expect the month of September to be quite active,” said Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the hurricane forecast. “We have seen some of the lowest pressure readings on record in the tropical Atlantic during August. Water temperatures in the tropical Atlantic remain at above-average values. A combination of these two factors typically leads to an active September.”In addition, the team continues to observe neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions in the tropical Pacific, so it does not expect that ENSO will be detrimental to September’s activity.