Hurricanes A normal hurricane season -- from June 1 to November 30 -- typically brings eight to 11 tropical storms, of which five to seven reach hurricane strength, with two to three classified as major. However, scientists are predicting quieter than normal activity in the Atlantic this season compared to the past three years. This forecast is based on an absence of influences such as El Nino or La Nina, the warming and cooling of ocean waters around the world. Hurricanes can be called Earth's most awesome storms. They are huge, spanning hundreds of miles wide, stirring up more than a million cubic miles of atmosphere every second of their existence. While other natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes come with little or no warning, hurricanes give forecasters many days to track possible courses. The National Hurricane Center bases it's records of hurricane intensity not on just the highest wind speed, but more importantly it's barometric pressure. For this reason, the National Hurricane Center uses the classification named Saffir-Simpson scale, which categorizes hurricanes according to intensity -- from 1 (minimal) to 5 (catastrophic). Some of the characteristics of hurricanes that set it apart from tropical or everyday storms are: 1) Possesses an eye. This area is an abnormally calm area in the middle of the storm, often with clear and pleasant conditions stretching anywhere from 1 to 20 miles. 2) Strong winds. Hurricane force winds start at 74 miles per hour and can reach up to 160 miles per hour. 3) Storm surge. This phenomenon is the rising of sea level associated with the unusually low atmospheric pressure combined with strong winds. The storm surge is more damaging than the wind speeds, as it usually floods and destroys the coastal plains, and protrudes as much as 4 miles inland and up to 25 feet high. 4) Low barometric pressure. On a normal, calm day air pressure averages around 29.92 inches of mercury, and on a stormy day the pressure can fall to 29.60. However, a hurricane can record air pressures as low as 27.00 inches of mercury, well below the average of normal storms. Having said all that, it is important to mention that hurricanes are named alphabetically by the order of their appearance. Atlantic Ocean names have their own sets of names, while the Pacific hold a list of names of their own. For example, the first hurricane of a season is given a name that starts with the letter "A", while the second storm carries a name starting with a "B" and so forth. These names are pre approved by a board of scientists from around the world and repeat every 6 years, with the names of the most destructive storms being removed from the list and retired. Here are this year's Atlantic hurricane names: Allison Barry Chantal Dean Erin Felix Gabrielle Humberto Iris Jerry Karen Lorenzo Michelle Noel Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy