With a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico churning up concern, forecasters say the second half of the Atlantic hurricane season could be more active than originally feared.

Hurricane Harvey quickly gained strength Thursday and was expected to hit the Texas coast Friday evening as a Category 3 storm, packing winds from 111 to 129 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — parent organization for the National Weather Service — originally predicted 11-17 named storms when the hurricane season started in May. Now, NOAA officially expects 14-19 named storms.

David Samuhel, senior meteorologist with the private forecasting firm AccuWeather, said he would expect about 15 named storms to form.

“Just because we’ve reached the halfway mark in the season doesn’t mean we’ve had half our storms,” he said.

The hurricane season, in fact, is expected to peak in mid-September, Samuhel said.

If more storms end up developing at this time of year, residents of states like Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas share an increased risk of hurricane effects like strong winds, coastal flooding, storm surge and torrential rain. Residents along eastern and southern U.S. coastlines are also advised to prepare for hurricane recurving — or recycling — following a first pass.

Hurricanes in the northern hemisphere generally travel from east to west, gradually spiraling northward, he said. On occasion, a hurricane can be absorbed or influenced by other storm systems, causing hurricanes to turn eastward. 

Even those living in inland areas of coastal states have reason to stay prepared and plan effectively for potential storm effects, as hurricanes and associated tornadoes can cause damage that exceeds coastal boundaries.

For example, the last major hurricane to come close to South Georgia was Opal in 2001, Samuhel said. Opal hit the Alabama coastline as a Category 4 storm before heading north and east toward north Georgia, where thousands in the Atlanta area were without power for as much as a week.

Richards is senior reporter at the Valdosta, Georgia Daily Times.