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NOAA forecasts average year for Pacific cyclones

NOAA forecasts average year for Pacific cyclones

   The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts that four to five cyclones will evolve in the Central Pacific during the 2004 season, an average year for these types of storms.

   NOAA contributes the lower number of storms to a quieter El Nino weather pattern. The years when El Nino forms in the equatorial waters of the Pacific produce a higher number of storms, the agency said.

   The cyclone season in the Central Pacific generally lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30.

   Information on Pacific storms is available to the maritime industry online from the NOAA Central Pacific Hurricane Center: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/.