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NOAA CONTINUES TO PREDICT ABOVE-NORMAL HURRICANE SEASON

August 8, 2006 �

NOAA Hurricane Season 2006 Outlook Update
News Conference Photos
National Press Club
Washington, D.C.
Aug. 8, 2006
(Photos are in the public domain. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
"This year's three named storms may pale in comparison to the record nine storms that formed through early August 2005, but conditions will be favorable for above-normal activity for the rest of this season—so we are not off the hook by any means," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. (Larger || High Res)

Gerry Bell, Ph.D., NOAA's lead seasonal hurricane forecaster.
According to Gerry Bell, Ph.D., NOAA's lead seasonal hurricane forecaster, the major climate factors expected to influence this year's activity are the ongoing multi-decadal signal, which produces wind and atmospheric pressure patterns favorable for hurricane formation, along with ongoing warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures. (Larger || High Res)
FEMA Director David Paulison
FEMA Director David Paulison told a Washington, D.C., news conference that the agency is better prepared for the 2006 hurricane season.
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Max Mayfield, director of the NOAA National Hurricane Center.
"As we approach the peak of the hurricane season, our message remains the same, be informed and be prepared," said Max Mayfield, director of the NOAA National Hurricane Center. Mayfield attended the news conference via satellite from the NOAA National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla.
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NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher tells reporters about the agency’s updated 2006 hurricane season outlook.
NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher tells reporters about the agency’s updated 2006 hurricane season outlook. (Larger || High Res)		 Gerry Bell, NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster, tells the media about the conditions conducive for an active hurricane season.
Gerry Bell, NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster, tells the media about the conditions conducive for an active hurricane season. (Larger || High Res)
Many reporters attended NOAA’s news conference on the updated 2006 Atlantic hurricane season outlook at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Many reporters attended NOAA’s news conference on the updated 2006 Atlantic hurricane season outlook at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
(Larger || High Res) 		NOAA held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to update the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season outlook.
NOAA held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to update the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season outlook.
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Relevant Web Sites
NOAA 2006 Atlantic Hurricane Outlook

NOAA Climate Prediction Center

NOAA National Hurricane Center

NOAA National Weather Service

NOAA Watch

NOAA El Niño Conditions and Outlooks

NOAA Hurricanes Page

Media Contact:
Carmeyia Gillis, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, (301) 763-8000 ext. 7163 or Frank Lepore, NOAA National Hurricane Center, (305) 229-4404