 On December 8 , 2006 , Klotzbach 's team issued its first extended @-@ range forecast for the 2007 season , predicting above @-@ average activity ( 14 named storms , seven hurricanes , three of Category 3 or higher ) . It listed a 64 percent chance of at least one major hurricane striking the U.S. mainland . This included a 40 percent chance of at least one major hurricane strike on the East Coast , including the Florida peninsula , and a 40 percent chance of at least one such strike on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward . The potential for major hurricane activity in the Caribbean was forecast to be above average , and the team predicted that El Niño , associated with reduced hurricane activity in the Atlantic , would dissipate by the active portion of the season . 
