DENVER (AP) - Bad news for the Southeast: Bill Gray's 1999 hurricane forecast has so far been very accurate. That may give credence to the long-term prediction the Colorado State University professor has been making for the past several years about heavier and nastier storms over the next 15 years. "If this new period of increased landfalling storms is now with us, it could pose serious threats to safety and to property for the country," Gray said. In December 1998, Gray's team predicted 14 named storms, nine hurricanes and four intense hurricanes for the 1999 Atlantic season. With one week left in the season, the total stands at 12 named storms, eight hurricanes and five intense hurricanes. "This is one of our best forecasts," Gray said.