NEW YORK - The 2006 hurricane season will be more active than normal and could bring a devastating storm to the US Northeast, private forecaster AccuWeather said on Monday.
The outlook comes after the most costly hurricane season on record in 2005, with storms crippling New Orleans and other parts of the US Gulf Coast and briefly knocking out a quarter of domestic fuel production.
"There are now indications that the Northeast will experience a hurricane larger and more powerful than anything that region has seen in a long time," said Ken Reeves, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com.
"The Northeast is staring down the barrel of a gun," said Joe Bastardi, AccuWeather.com's chief hurricane forecaster.
The current storm cycle and above-normal water temperatures in the Atlantic are reminiscent of the pattern that produced the 1938 hurricane that struck Providence, Rhode Island, killing 600 people, Bastardi said.
"The Northeast coast is long overdue for a powerful hurricane, and with the weather patterns and hydrology we're seeing in the oceans, the likelihood of a major hurricane making landfall in the Northeast is not a question of if but when," he said.
The Texas coast from Corpus Christi to the Louisiana border is also likely to be the target of higher than normal hurricane activity over the next 10 years, according to the forecast.
Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Mississippi coast last August with winds above 135 mph and a 30-foot-high storm surge, causing more than US$60 billion in damage.
Katrina was followed by Hurricanes Rita in Texas and Wilma in Florida. Each wreaked more than US$10 billion of insured losses, making 2005 the most expensive year for hurricanes ever.
Bastardi said this year's storm activity will be above normal, but could be less active than 2005.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
