Normal hurricane season predicted by NOAA

(CNN) -- A near-normal hurricane season is expected this year, with nine to 15 named storms including four to eight hurricanes and one to three major hurricanes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday, May 24th.

A major hurricane, designated as Category 3 or greater, packs winds of well over 100 miles per hour.

NOAA officials said uncertainty over whether the El Nino weather pattern will form made it difficult to be more precise in predicting the storm season.

CNN's Sean Morris contributed to this report.

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