SANTO DOMINGO. - National Meteorology Office (Onamet) director Gloria Ceballos today announced that the 2008 hurricane season, which begins Sunday, June 1, will be more active than normal as 13 named storms are expected to form.

In a press conference, the Onamet chief and the assistant director Miguel Campusano affirmed that of the 13 atmospheric phenomena, seven would become hurricanes and three could reach a category as high 5 in the Saffir-Simpson scale.

She said the South region is expected to be the most affected and the Dominican Republic is most vulnerable between August 15 and September 30.

Ceballos said the World Meteorological Organization and the Regional Hurricane Committee, assigned the 21 names for the storms which could form in the season which ends on November 30: Arthur, Bertha, Cristóbal, Dolly, Edward, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marcos, Nana, Omar, Paloma, René, Rally, Teddy, Vicky, and Wifred.