We're in for an 'extremely active' hurricane season: Up to 25 named storms are possible, NOAA says

The storms will keep rolling in.

Forecasters from the federal government said Thursday that an "extremely active" hurricane season was likely for the Atlantic Basin, with as many as 25 named storms forming.

This includes the nine named storms that have already formed: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna and Isaias.

“This is one of the most active seasonal forecasts that NOAA has produced in its 22-year history of hurricane outlooks," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in a statement.

Overall, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said 19 to 25 named storms will develop, of which seven to 11 will be hurricanes. Storms become hurricanes when their winds reach 74 mph.

Earlier this week, top forecasters from Colorado State University updated their hurricane forecast to "extremely active" and predicted 10 more hurricanes this season. In all, they predicted 24 named storms in 2020, which includes the nine named storms that have already formed.

So far in 2020, two hurricanes have formed: Hanna and Isaias, both of which made landfall in the U.S.

This "could be one of the more active seasons in the historical record," said lead seasonal hurricane forecaster Gerry Bell of the Climate Prediction Center said during a media teleconference Thursday.

Bell said that atmospheric and oceanic conditions such as a potential La Ni?a in the Pacific, weak wind shear and warm sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic, and a strong West African monsoon all combine to make hurricanes more likely.

“This year, we expect more, stronger, and longer-lived storms than average," he added.

An average season typically spawns six hurricanes and peaks in August and September. The most active year on record was 2005, when 28 named storms formed.

Of the predicted seven to 11 hurricanes, three to six could be major, packing wind speeds of 111 mph or higher. That's Categories 3 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.

Forecasts include storms that spin up in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

If predictions hold true, it will be a record fifth-consecutive year of above-normal activity. That would beat the previous four-year streak set from 1998 to 2001.

The season officially began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.

The 2020 hurricane season is already off to a record pace with nine named storms forming by July 30, the most ever recorded since the satellite era began in 1966, NOAA said. Historically, only two named storms form on average by early August, and the ninth named storm typically does not form until Oct. 4.

More from USA TODAY:

Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' is smaller than usual due to Tropical Storm Hanna

On the heels of Isaias, forecasters say 10 more hurricanes are likely this season

From Arthur to Wilfred, here's the list of hurricane names for the 2020 season

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NOAA says hurricane season will be 'extremely active' with 25 storms