What are the odds a major hurricane makes landfall in NJ in 2017, watch the video above to find out.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1, could be more active than normal, government forecasters warned Thursday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its outlook for the upcoming hurricane season, which the NOAA predicts could produce as many as nine hurricanes.

Below are the tropical storm names for 2017, as selected by the World Meteorological Organization. Arlene, you may recall, was already used by a rare April cyclone that stayed out at sea.

"There is the potential for a lot of activity this hurricane season," said Ben Friedman, the interim head of the NOAA "We can't stop hurricanes, but we can prepare for them."

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A typical season has 12 named storms, which are tropical storms that feature wind speeds of at least 39 mph.

On a conference call with reporters, NOAA officials cautioned that there is "considerably uncertainty" in their models.

Specifically, there is a:

45 percent chance of an above normal season

35 percent chance of a normal season

20 percent chance of a below normal season

NOAA's may be the granddaddy of forecasts, but other expert organizations weighed in last month:

Colorado State University: 11 named storms, 4 hurricanes, 2 major hurricanes

AccuWeather: 10 named storms, 5 hurricanes, 3 major hurricanes

Tropical Storm Risk (TSR): 11 named storms, 4 hurricanes, 2 major hurricanes

The NOAA cites "a weak or non-existent El Nino," warmer sea-surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and a potentially weaker wind shear.

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Strong wind shear and El Nino suppress hurricane development while warmer water serves as fuel for tropical storms.

No major hurricane has made landfall in the U.S. since 2005, a record streak that NOAA experts were quick to downplay.

“Who can forget five years ago when Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast and caused $75 billion worth of damage, the second most costly hurricane of all time and one that we’re still recovering from," Friedman said.

Sandy was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it made landfall.

"The message, again, is that it doesn’t need to be a major hurricane to cause damage," he said.

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Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com