AN article in the Washington Post could become the first "storm" to hit the Cayman Islands and the rest of the Caribbean in the hurricane season, which officially began on 1 June.

Appearing in the 4 June edition is a story headlined "Storm Warning: Choose Your Caribbean Island Wisely" which sought to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of holidaying in the region at this time.

Written by staff writer Gary Lee, the article stated that the cheap low-season hotel discounts are very attractive but they came at a time when "treacherous" weather is predicted.

"At least one study is predicting that the run of storms in 2006 will be as treacherous as last year's record season," he wrote.

There has so far been no response from tourism organisations in the Caribbean on what could possibly be bad press for a region slowly recovering from the fallout from the September 11 terror attacks in the US in 2001, as well as the impact of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. 

Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas was listed as the one most likely to be hit by a storm, given that it has been struck by 40 hurricanes in the past 150 years for an average of one every four years.

Bermuda and the Virgin Islands have placed as high-risk areas to visit in the hurricane season, particularly in early September to mid-October.

Officials in Bermuda - a haven for tourists - have taken issue over the Island being categorised as risky for visitors at this time.

While no direct mention was made of Grand Cayman that took the brunt of Hurricane Ivan, the Cayman Islands was grouped with most Caribbean Islands, which were considered to be a gamble in the season. 

"Finding a dry Caribbean beach in hurricane season is always a gamble but travellers can greatly sweeten their odds by choosing the right island," Mr Lee said.

However, NOAA hurricane specialist Chris Landsea is willing to vacation in the tropical climate during the busy hurricane period.

"Compared to the beauty of the region the risks of something untoward happening are small," Landsea said.

"If somebody offered me a trip to the Caribbean in the middle of the hurricane season, I would jump on it."

Among the region's safest, according to the report, are the ABC islands - Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, and Margarita Island, just off the coast of Venezuela.

Weather experts have noted that no island is totally free from hurricanes in spite of rare storm activities on their doorsteps.

Despite the alarm raised in the Washington Post, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that only a two percent chance of encountering a serious storm exists for the visitor.

For cruisers, the coast is just as clear with cruise ships being reported in the article as equipped with sophisticated storm warning systems and could out-run hurricanes.

Noted hurricane analyst William Gray of the Colorado State University forecasted that nine hurricanes - five major ones - would traverse the Caribbean environment in 2006.

This year, 21 named storms and depressions are expected in the region whose hurricane season runs annually from 1 June to 30 November. 

The names of the storms are Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie and William.