Research consortium Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) has forecast that the 2004-2005 Australian cyclone season will be the most active for the past four years.
TSR, the consortium of experts on insurance, risk management and seasonal climate forecasting led by the Benfield Hazard Research Centre at University College London, is predicting five tropical storms will strike the Australian coast next cyclone season, which runs from 1 November to 30 April.
For the Australian region as a whole, TSR is forecasting 11 tropical storms, with five of these likely to develop into severe tropical cyclones, making 2004-2005 the most active cyclone season in the region since 2000-2001.
The last three years have each seen below-average tropical storm activity around Australia.
Tropical storms in the region are costly, with the average storm damage bill per year bewteen 1990-1991 and 2000-2001 estimated at US$58m.
