Expect an above-average hurricane season.

The forecast from the government's Climate Prediction Center echoes that of independent forecasters, calling for the likelihood that 2008 will be an active year for hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Caribbean. For bettors, there's a 65% probability that we'll see an above-average storm season, a 25% chance it will be average and just 10% that it will be below average.

What does that mean? It means there's a good chance we'll see 12 to 16 named storms, including six to nine hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale). (Average is 11 named storms including six hurricanes, two of them major storms.) The hurricane season officially begins June 1, though storms typically reach a peak in late summer.

This year, a lingering La Niña (cool pattern) in the Southern Pacific, warmth in the tropical Atlantic, and the strong-phase of a multidecadal storm activity cycle are expected to be driving forces behind an active storm year.