 Forecasts of hurricane activity are issued before each hurricane season by noted hurricane expert Dr. William M. Gray and his associates at Colorado State University ( CSU ) , and separately by forecasters with the U.S. Government 's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) . According to CSU , the average season between 1950 and 2000 had 9 @.@ 6 tropical storms , 5 @.@ 9 hurricanes , and 2 @.@ 3 major hurricanes ( storms exceeding Category 3 on the Saffir @-@ Simpson Hurricane Scale ) . A normal season , as defined by NOAA , has 9 to 12 named storms , of which five to seven reach hurricane strength and one to three become major hurricanes . 
