Forecasters Predict Near- or Above-Normal Hurricane Season The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is a 35 percent chance that the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season will be above-normal, a 40 percent chance that it will be near-normal Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Forecasters for the NOAA predict a 70 percent chance that there are going to be 10 to 16 named storms, which is right around the seasonal average of 12.