HOUSTON (Reuters). The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season will be characterized by four large hurricanes, forecasters from Colorado State University stated on Thursday. They are expected to produce sustained winds of at most 111 miles/hour (178 km/h) during the season.

A total of 19 tropical storms with winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph) and nine hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph) are forecast to appear in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, according to the university’s Tropical Meteorology Project.

Phil Klotzbach from Colorado State was the leader of Colorado’s Hurricane Season Forecasting Team. He spoke at the national Tropical Weather Conference which was live streamed online.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average number of tropical cyclones that hit the Atlantic between 1991 and 2020 was seven hurricanes. Three were major storms and fourteen tropical storms.