While the recent issue of Computerworld tells us that IT execs are preparing for hurricane season, researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh have predicted a busier-than-normal season.

The same researchers who were so accurate last year in predicting a milder-than-normal season are back, this year forecasting a very active hurricane season, including 30-50 percent more Atlantic storms than average.

In 2006, most weather forecasters called for a season of violent storms. Amid the dire warnings, Dr. Lian Xie (pronounced "shay"), a professor in NCSU's Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, took a different view. Using analytical software from SAS, Xie and his team spotted a trend in 100 years’ worth of weather data. They went against the crowd and predicted a mild season. They were right.

Xie and his team's SAS-powered hurricane model predict a far busier hurricane season in 2007. Not good news for coastal residents. But accurate forecasting can help governments, local officials, homeowners - and IT execs - prepare.

The Computerworld article sites research out of Colorado State University:

Researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins say that 17 named storms, including five with winds of more than 115 miles per hour could form in the Atlantic Ocean this year. By comparison, a typical hurricane season includes two such major storms, noted Philip Klotzbach, research associate at the school.

By comparison, Xie and his team say the hurricane outlook in 2007 includes the possibility of 12-14 named storms forming in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Of those named storms, 8-9 may become hurricanes, 4-5 of which have the potential to become major (Category 3 or higher) storms.

This year, the two predictions are more alike than different, so it might be smart to follow the advice in Computerworld and prepare, prepare, prepare.