Luis Rodríguez, No. 2 man at the Weather Department, said that forecasters expect the 1999 Atlantic Basin hurricane season to be more active than the one last year. Rodríguez said it is very likely that at least one hurricane of category 3 or 4 will sweep through the Caribbean from June to November. This year’s hurricanes are to be called: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Floyd, Gert, Hervey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lenny, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma. The hurricane season opens 1 June. August and September are the months in which most hurricanes have hit the DR. The last major hurricanes to affect the DR were David (August 1979) and Georges (September 1999).
