American forecasters have predicted that up to 15 tropical storms and hurricanes would form in the Atlantic and Caribbean this year. Conrad Lautenbacher, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that of the 12 to 15 storms expected, seven to nine of them will become hurricanes, and three to five of those major hurricanes, with winds of at least 111 mph (170 kph). "We can't predict this far in advance how many will strike land," he said. But given the active season, "be prepared for two or three of these to make landfall." The season promises to be another busy onefollowing on the heels of one that hammered a number of Caribbean islands. Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Florida were hard hit during last year's hurricane season, which produced 15 storms. Hurricane Jeanne, a tropical storm when it passed near Haiti, triggered floods that killed about 3,000 people in the poorest country in the Americas. Ivan damaged about 90 percent of Grenada's housing stock. Above-average After a mission to Grenada this month, the International Monetary Fund said that the upcoming season could pose severe challenges to the island, given that many houses, schools and shelters are still under reconstruction. If the forecasters are right, the 2005 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, would continue a string of mostly above-average stormy seasons that began a decade ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in its annual hurricane forecast. Mr. Lautenbacher said the 2005 forecast was based on a large number of factors, including air pressure, winds and surface temperature. Reprinted from bbccaribbean.com