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MIAMI (WACH, AP) -- U.S. government forecasters say the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be busy, with an above-average number of storms.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters said Thursday they expect up to 19 named storms to develop by the end of the season Nov. 30. There have been five so far.

Seven to 10 of the forecast storms could become hurricanes.

The six-month Atlantic hurricane season began June 1, but the peak period for hurricanes runs from August through October.

SkyWACH Weather Anchor Justin Kier said in June there is a 65 percent chance this will be an above normal year. It may even be 'hyper-active' if the high ends of the numbers pan out.

Reasons why it'll be active:

- Above normal Sea Surface Temps
- Active AMO (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation) pattern that has been happening since 1995
- El Nino is not expected (El Nino suppresses hurricanes)
- Better long term model data

Last year's hurricane season was one of the busiest on record with 19 named storms, including 12 hurricanes. No major hurricane has made a U.S. landfall in the last five years, but scientists say coastal residents can't expect their luck to hold.

"The key thing to remember is that it only takes one hurricane hit to change your world," Kier cautions.  "The best thing anyone can do is prepare and have a plan in place."

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Emily is expected to make landfall on Haiti's southern peninsula after dawn Thursday and dump torrential rains across a country where more than 600,000 people still live without shelter after last year's earthquake.

Emily is the season's fifth named storm. Last week, Tropical Storm Don fizzled to a tropical depression just before crossing the Texas coastline.

Click here to find out more ways you can be prepared in the event of a hurricane.

Do you have an emergency plan in place to put into action should a hurricane hit South Carolina?  Let us know by leaving a comment below.  Also, vote in our poll and let us know how much you pay attention to these predictions.

Here's a list of 2011 hurricane names:

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)