Seasonal Forecasts
| Source | Date | Named storms |
Hurricanes | Major hurricanes |
| CSU | Average (1950–2000) | 9.6 | 5.9 | 2.3 |
| NOAA | Average (1950–2005) | 11.0 | 6.2 | 2.7 |
| Record high activity | 28 | 15 | 8 | |
| Record low activity | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– | ||||
| CSU | December 7, 2000 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| CSU | April 5, 2001 | 12 | 7 | 3 |
| NOAA | May 21, 2001 | 8–11 | 5–7 | 2–3 |
| CSU | August 7, 2001 | 12 | 7 | 3 |
| NOAA | August 8, 2001 | 9–12 | 6–8 | 2–4 |
| –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– | ||||
| Actual activity | 15 | 9 | 4 | |
Forecasts of hurricane activity are issued before each hurricane season by noted hurricane experts Philip J. Klotzbach, William M. Gray, and their associates at Colorado State University; and separately by NOAA forecasters.
Klotzbach's team (formerly led by Gray) defined the average number of storms per season (1950 to 2000) as 9.6 tropical storms, 5.9 hurricanes, 2.3 major hurricanes (storms reaching at least Category 3 strength in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale) and ACE Index 96.1. NOAA defines a season as above-normal, near-normal or below-normal by a combination of the number of named storms, the number reaching hurricane strength, the number reaching major hurricane strength and ACE Index.
Read more about this topic: List Of Storms In The 2001 Atlantic Hurricane Season