NATIONWIDE -- Colorado State University and NOAA’s National Hurricane Center have released their forecasts for the 2018 hurricane season, and both are calling for an average to slightly above average season ahead.

The predictions for 2018 include a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms, of which five to nine may become hurricanes, including one to four major hurricanes. An average hurricane season sees about six hurricanes, with three becoming major.

A dozen named storms is considered a normal hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

Keep in mind, these numbers don’t really matter -- it’s what (if anything) impacts land that matters in the end, and it only takes one storm to cause issues.

So how did they come up with the numbers they’ve shared?

First, forecasters peer over historic storm data and use climate statistics to come up with an average number of storms.

Our average hurricane season consists of 12 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes and three of these becoming major hurricanes (category three and higher).

In 2018, forecasters also took into account our weather pattern heading into summer. We are currently in a pattern known as ENSO neutral, meaning not in an El Nino or La Nina situation. If this holds true during hurricane season, we would lean toward an average to slightly more active year of storms.

Some forecasters are calling for a potential weak El Nino, which would create a little more wind shear in the atmosphere over the Atlantic and Caribbean, not allowing storms to grow huge and thrive.

Yet another factor to take into account are sea surface temperatures, and these need to warm a great deal before hurricane season can get rolling.

We need to see 82 degrees or warmer for a hurricane to feed. Sea surface temps around the entire Florida peninsula are running slightly below average for late May, and are still stuck in the 70s.

Tropical cyclones become hurricanes when winds reach 74 mph. Major hurricanes -- those of Category 3 or greater -- have winds of 111 mph or higher.

"There's no strong climate signal saying it's going to be extremely active like last year or extremely weak," said Gerry Bell, a NOAA Climate Prediction Center forecaster. 

"We're expecting a near average season which means a lot of storms forming in the Atlantic which means this is time to start getting prepared for the hurricane season," Bell said.

Meanwhile, many are still recovering from last year's hurricanes, including hurricanes Maria and Irma, which caused hundreds of billions in damage across Florida, Texas and the Caribbean.

Hurricane season officially begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, although we can have storms develop outside the typical season.