Strong hurricanes to hit U.S. Gulf in 07: AccuWeather

The U.S. Gulf Coast, which is still rebuilding almost two years after Hurricane Katrina, faces a renewed threat of powerful storms this year, private forecaster AccuWeather said on Tuesday.

Bastardi also said that storms forecast to hit this year could once again disrupt oil and natural gas operations along the Gulf Coast, driving up energy prices for consumers.

“This year’s stronger storms are likely to be the kind of disruption that will be felt in wallets and pocketbooks,” he said.

After Hurricane Rita hit the region a month after Katrina, as much as 14 percent of U.S. refinery capacity was shut and about 80 percent of crude oil and 66 percent of natural gas production were down for months.

Bastardi also predicted the U.S. Northeast would likely be a target for strong storms for the next 10 years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070327/ts_nm/usa_weather_forecast_accuweather_dc

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