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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-normal 2017 Hurricane Season, with five to nine hurricanes -- two to four of them Category 3 (winds at least 111 mph) or stronger. The weakness or absence of storm-suppressing El Niño climate conditions, combined with above-normal ocean surface temperatures and average or weaker vertical wind shear across the Caribbean and Atlantic Coast are factors pointing to an active hurricane season, said Ben Friedman, acting NOAA administrator. They expect that three named storms will make landfall in the U.S. April's Tropical Storm Arlene was a rare preseason storm, but it was also an indication of an active season ahead, Friedman said Thursday during a news conference at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Md. In the 25 years since Category 5 Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, forecasting accuracy has improved 65%, said Mary Erickson, deputy director at the National Weather Service.