(CNN) In an uptick from the preseason forecast, the Atlantic hurricane season now is expected to be above normal, with 10 to 17 named storms, including five to nine hurricanes, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, announced Thursday.

Two to four of those hurricanes are forecast to be Category 3 or stronger, with winds greater than 110 mph, experts said, in line with the May prediction . Hurricane Barry hit the Louisiana in July as a Category 1 storm.

"We expect conditions to be more favorable for storm development through the rest of the season," Gerry Bell, the prediction center's lead seasonal hurricane forecaster, told CNN.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic peaks in mid-September.

There is now a 45% chance for above-normal tropical activity this season, the NOAA center said. That's an increase from the 30% chance in its May outlook.