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Hurricane threat simmers

With the devastation of 2005 still high in their minds, insurers will be pleased to know the probability of a similar Atlantic hurricane season this year is lessening. Researchers at Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) in London still anticipate a busy season this year, but with relatively little storm activity.

On May 31, TSR predicted 16 tropical storms would develop over the course of the hurricane season. Of these, nine would be classed as hurricanes, four of them intense. But the updated forecast, released last week, predicts around 10 tropical storms, including three intense hurricanes.