(Reuters) - The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season will be nearly as busy as the one that just ended, Colorado State University meteorologists predicted on Wednesday.

The forecasting team anticipates 17 tropical storms, with nine of those strengthening into hurricanes during the season that runs from June 1 to November 30.

Five will grow into "major" hurricanes of category 3 or higher on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 km per hour), the team predicted.

That compares with 19 tropical storms, 12 hurricanes and five major hurricanes during the 2010 season that just ended on November 30. The 2020 season tied with 1887 and 1995 for the third-highest storm total on record.

An average season brings 11 storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

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»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Atlan···e_season