BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CDERA): If hurricane researchers and forecasters are correct then the current lull in hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean should soon give way, opening the flood gates to the Cape Verde season.

Historically the 60-day period between August 15 and October 15 is regarded as the peak of the annual Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season when the most intense activity occurs. According to the latest updated forecast, the rest of the season should see about another 10 storms being formed of which three have been forecast to make landfall in the Lesser Antilles.

In its August update for the season, the forecast team of Professor Mark Saunders and Dr Adam Lea of the Benfield Hazard Research Centre at the University College of London, has increased the numbers for this season to 22 storms, 11 hurricanes, and seven major hurricanes. The numbers follow the trending from Professor Bill Gray of the Colorado State University, the United States Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Meteorological Institute of Cuba.