New York, Europe Brief News – An updated 2022 hurricane outlook for the Atlantic showed that between 14 and 20 named storms are expected, with up to 10 hurricanes and up to five major hurricanes.
The average number of named storms per year is 14, with the average number of hurricanes clocking in at seven, and an average of three major hurricanes per year, according to NOAA, which continues to point to another above-average hurricane season.
NOAA had predicted up to 21 named storms in its original forecast in May. There have been three so far this season.
Although hurricane season officially starts on June 1, most tropical cyclones occur from August to October.
The US is currently on the 27th year of a “high activity era,” meaning that the chance of a hurricane making landfall on the East Coast is double that of a “low activity era,” Matthew Rosencrans, climate test bed director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, told ABC News.
The intensity of hurricanes is expected to increase as climate change continues to warm ocean waters, leaving ample breeding ground for strong systems to develop.
The agency is urging Americans to be prepared for not only strong winds and storm surge, but inland flooding well away from the storm’s center.
