JUST seven months after Hurricane Melissa ravaged Jamaica’s south-western parishes the island is bracing for another Atlantic hurricane season which starts tomorrow, with the major utility companies saying they are as ready as they can be.

Forecasters with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are predicting a below-normal season, which runs June 1 to November 30.

NOAA predicts a 35 per cent chance of a near-normal season, a 10 per cent chance of an above-normal season, and a 55 per cent chance of a below-normal season.