GERMANTOWN, Md., May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- WeatherBug, the leading provider of live, local weather information and services, released its 2008 hurricane forecast today, calling for an above-average season.

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The WeatherBug Professional Meteorological team predicts 10 to 12 named storms for the 2008 season, which officially kicks off Sunday, June 1 and lasts to November 30. Four to six named storms are expected to strengthen into hurricanes, with two to four reaching Category-3 status or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds greater than 111 mph.

A normal hurricane season consists of 10 named storms. Last year, WeatherBug successfully predicted a hyper-active season with 15 named storms, including two category-5 hurricanes.

An above-average hurricane season falls in line with the cycle occurring in the Atlantic Ocean, which is 13 years into an approximate 30 year phase of above-normal water temperatures. Also, the current La Nina conditions, resulting from cooling waters in the Pacific, create an ideal situation for hurricane development. The opposite effect, known as El Nino, creates stronger westerly winds in the upper atmosphere, which prevent tropical weather systems from developing, especially in the Gulf and the Caribbean.

"The warmer water temperatures in the Atlantic provide more fuel for hurricane development," said Joe Bartosik, senior meteorologist at WeatherBug. "Additionally, the lack of El Nino conditions will allow storms to potentially enter the Gulf and Caribbean. This is not good news for energy companies who should also pay close attention to where high pressure steering currents appear during the season."

WeatherBug's team of meteorologists determined this year's predictions using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the WeatherBug storm tracker, a graphical display tool used to research the strength and track of current and past years tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes. WeatherBug releases their predictions to clients as early as possible for maximum consideration by the energy markets.

"Many storms end up never hitting the continental U.S. so people assume we won't be affected, but that's not the case," said Bartosik. "Our energy sources can still be at risk when storms remain off shore, which leads to price volatility in oil and natural gas."

Climactic conditions in the Sahara desert also affect hurricane development. For instance, below-normal rainfall in the Sahara will result in more African dust blowing offshore, which dries out the atmosphere and prevents storms from forming. "WeatherBug will be keeping an eye on the rainfall in the Sahara desert throughout the season," continued Bartosik. "For now, however, there is no indication that rainfall in that area will fall short of the seasonal norm."

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CONTACT: Mara Radis, Director of PR of WeatherBug, +1-301-250-4017,
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