Government Forecasters Expect Up To 9 Hurricanes In 2008

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Batten down the hatches on the East Coast this year.  Government forecasters expect the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will see six to nine hurricanes forming, which they say would be near or above normal activity.  Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration project that 12 and 16 named storms and two to five major hurricans could form.   There is a 60 to 70 percent chance for the predictions to hit those ranges.  This is the first time they gave a probability because some forecasters believe people pay too much attention to the seasonal forecasts.  An average season has 11 named storms, including six hurricanes -- two of which reach major status of at least Category 3 with winds of more than 110 miles-per-hour.