The hurricane seasons runs from Wednesday, June 1 to Wednesday, Nov. 30.
“As we reflect on another potentially busy hurricane season, past storms — such as Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the New York metro area ten years ago — remind us that the impact of one storm can be felt for years,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Since Sandy, NOAA’s forecasting accuracy has continued to improve, allowing us to better predict the impacts of major hurricanes to lives and livelihoods.”
NOAA's forecast, released on Tuesday, May 24, calls for a likely range of:
- 14 to 21 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher),
- Six to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher),
- Three to six major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5), with winds of 111 mph or higher).
For a graph showing the storm predictions, click on the second image above.
If the prediction proves accurate, 2022 will become the seventh consecutive above-average hurricane season.
NOAA said the increased activity anticipated this hurricane season is attributed to several climate factors, including:
- The ongoing La Niña that is likely to persist throughout the hurricane season,
- Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea,
- Weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds and an enhanced west African monsoon.
NOAA also released the list of names scheduled for tropical cyclones for the upcoming season. To view them, click on the third image above.
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