Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Colorado State University storm research team cut its forecast for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season on Tuesday, predicting that 10 tropical storms will form and four of those will strengthen into hurricanes. It was the third time the CSU researchers have trimmed their forecast for the current season. All the major hurricane forecasters have said in their predictions that the 2009 season will be less active than last season, which produced 16 storms. So far there have been no tropical storms in the Atlantic season that began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. The following are the latest predictions for 2009: -------------------------------------------------------------- Tropical Storms Hurricanes Major Hurricanes -------------------------------------------------------------- CSU 10 4 2 Planalytics 10 6 1-2 WSI 10 5 2 NOAA 9-14 4-7 1-3 TSR 12.6 6.5 2.8 AccuWeather 10 6 2 WRC 7 4 -- UK Met 6 NA NA -------------------------------------------------------------- NOAA (U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) issued its pre-season forecast on May 21. CSU (Colorado State University team led by William Gray and Philip Klotzbach) forecast issued Aug. 4. Updates due Sept. 2, Oct. 1. TSR (London-based Tropical Storm Risk) forecast issued Aug. 4. WSI Corp, based in Andover, Massachusetts, issued forecast on July 20. Update due Aug. 24. AccuWeather forecast issued May 14. WRC (Houston-based Weather Research Center) forecast issued April 6. The UK Met Office issued a forecast on June 18. Planalytics issued a forecast on May 27. (Reporting by Jane Sutton; Editing by Pascal Fletcher)
A woman speaks on a mobile phone while braving strong winds in Hong Kong August 4, 2009. The Hong Kong Observatory has issued typhoon signal number three as tropical storm Goni ...
