Gray Follows consensus: Wave of storms to come. (Briefing).

A leading hurricane forecaster added weight to predictions of another busy season in the Atlantic basin next year, with a high risk of the U.S. mainland being hit by a major storm.

William Gray, a professor at Colorado State University, is predicting 13 named storms,, eight hurricanes and four intense hurricanes with winds exceeding 110 mph--an outlook that closely matches the forecast of the insurer-backed Tropical Storm Risk consortium issued on Dec. 3. The predictions differ only on the number of intense storms; the London-based TSR group is calling for three. The averages from 1950-2000 have been 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes.

Gray also said there is an 86% chance of a major hurricane making landfall in the United States, while the TSR forecast calls for four named storms-two of them hurricanes-to hit the U.S. coast. The risk is greatest for the Florida peninsula and the East Coast, at 58%, according to Gray, while the Gulf Coast faces a 43% probability.