At least one big storm will hit the United States this year according to a well known hurricane researcher. He also said on Wednesday that the rising water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean will be the main cause of this year’s storm season described as „well above average".

The forecast was made by William Gray's team at Colorado State University. According to their forecast, at least 15 named storms will form over the Atlantic in 2008 and it is highly probable that at least one of the big storms will hit mainland United States. An average of 5.9 hurricanes per year is forming over the Atlantic Ocean.

"The Atlantic is a bit warmer than in the past couple of years," said Phil Klotzbach, a member of the forecast team. "That is something we would like to keep an eye on."

Gray had projected seven hurricanes with three major storms in a preliminary forecast in December.

Gray, who has been a forecaster over the past 20 years, has faced increased criticism lately for his off-the-mark weather predictions. However, he firmly stated that no forecast is precise, but raises the awareness of hurricanes.

"We have not been ashamed of our forecast failures. It is the nature of seasonal forecasting to sometimes be wrong," Klotzbach said according to The Associated Press.

The current conditions in the Atlantic basin are favorable for such an above-average hurricane season, said meteorologists William Gray and Philip Klotzbach. The names of the two forecasters are well known among insurers, energy markets and local governments.

When asked about Gray’s forecast, National Hurricane Center director Bill Read said he prefers to describe the next season in general terms such as above average, average or below average instead of predicting the precise number of hurricanes.

Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the NHC, said that it takes just one giant storm to make the season a bad one.