Echoing early predictions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season – the seventh in a row.

NOAA is predicting, with 70% confidence, a range of 13 to 20 named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher from now through Nov. 1. Six to ten of them could become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher; out of those, three to five are expected to become major category hurricanes (with winds over 111 mph).

“Now is the time for communities along the coastline as well as inland to get prepared for the dangers that hurricanes can bring,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The experts at NOAA are poised to deliver life-saving early warnings and forecasts to communities, which will also help minimize the economic impacts of storms.”

Much like last month’s predictions from Colorado State University, the NOAA forecast is based on the current weak La Nina and absent El Nino patterns, resulting in warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon.

Bottom line: for businesses in the region, it’s time to brace yourselves and plan ahead