National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts six major hurricanes in the Atlantic and an above-average 2022 season.
If the forecast proves accurate, this will be the seventh straight year of above-average activity in the Atlantic. The 2020 hurricane season was the most active on record.
NOAA is predicting 14 to 21 named storms, with 6 to 10 becoming hurricanes, and of these, 3 to 6 will become major hurricanes of Category 3 or greater,
The average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, creating 7 hurricanes, 3 of which are major storms.
Hurricane Factors
The busy season is based on many factors, including sea surface temperatures and the presence of a La Nina event.
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Climate studies reveal that increasing ocean and air temperatures lead to stronger hurricanes, and rapidly intensifying storms are more likely today than just a few decades ago.
Forecasters also say that warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and enhanced African monsoon give rise to thunderstorms that form tropical storms and hurricanes.
There are also unusually mild water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico that concern forecasters.
The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins June 1 and ends November 30.
Keep in mind that just because NOAA predicts several hurricanes this year, it doesn’t mean we will get them all here in Sebastian, Florida. But we should always be prepared and ready.
