An above-average number of storms will emerge from the Atlantic this hurricane season, and the odds of the US being hit by a major system are about 70 per cent greater than predicted last year, Colorado State University researchers said.

Eighteen named storms will develop in 2013, the CSU forecasters said today in their initial seasonal outlook. Nine of the systems are expected to become hurricanes, four of them major systems of Category 3 or higher with winds of at least 111 miles (179 kilometers) per hour.

The CSU team estimated the chances of a major hurricane strike on the US this year at 72 per cent, compared with 42 per cent last year. Sandy, which devastated parts of New York and New Jersey in October, had winds of Category 1 level.

“We think we will have a pretty active season here,” said William Gray, professor emeritus of atmospheric science at the Fort Collins, Colorado, university, who pioneered long-range hurricane forecasting 30 years ago. “Things are just looking good.”

Atlantic hurricanes are watched closely because of their threat to major US population centers and to the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf is home to 7 per cent of US natural gas output, 23 per cent of oil production and 44 per cent of refining capacity, according to the Energy Department.