Forecasters are warning that an Atlantic hurricane season already off to a fast start could continue to be "extremely active."

The National Oceanic Administration's Climate Prediction Center sounded that ominous tone on Wednesday when it said there's a 60 percent chance of 14 to 19 named storms forming in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico this season.

That figure would include two to five major hurricanes.

There have already been six named Atlantic storms since the June 1, half the number in a typical six-month span.

The prediction center bumped those numbers from the outlook issued in May, when it estimated there would be between 11 and 17 named storms with two to four being major.

A major hurricane is defined as one packing winds of at least 111 mph. A storm earns a name when winds top 39 mph.

A typical season features 12 named storms, six of which develop into hurricanes. Three are generally major.

One of the culprits for a possible active storm season this year is the lack of an El Nino, according to Gerry Bell, the prediction center's lead seasonal hurricane forecaster.

"The wind and air patterns in the area of the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean where many storms develop are very conducive to an above-normal season," Bell said Wednesday. "This is in part because the chance of an El Nino forming, which tends to prevent storms from strengthening, has dropped significantly from May."

Wednesday's updated outlook decreases the chance of a below-normal season to only 10 percent -- down from 20 percent when the first outlook was issued in the spring.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, has already had six named storms -- two would be normal by Aug. 9.

Two of the six storms, Cindy and Emily, struck the United States. Cindy made landfall on June 22 near the Louisiana-Texas border and caused heavy rain, inland flooding and multiple tornado outbreaks. Emily made landfall on July 31 in Anna Maria Island, Fla. with winds of 45 mph. It dropped several inches of rain across the region.

The prediction center doesn't try to project how many storms might strike a specific area or even the U.S. in general.

A major hurricane hasn't made landfall in the United States since 2005 when Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast. It killed more than 1,200 people and caused an estimated $108 billion in damage.

More recently, neither Irene in 2011 nor Sandy the following year were still classified as hurricanes when they hit New Jersey.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.