Publication Date May 25, 2022 | Climate Nexus Hot News

NOAA Forecast Busier Than Average Atlantic Hurricane Season For 7th Year In A Row

North Atlantic Ocean Basin
FILE - This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Sam, center right, in the Atlantic Ocean, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, at 3:20 p.m. ET. On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, federal meteorologists say the Atlantic should expect another extra busy hurricane season in 2022. Tuesday's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic hurricane season forecast calls for 14 to 21 named storms, with six to 10 becoming hurricanes. (Credit: NOAA via AP, File)
FILE - This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Sam, center right, in the Atlantic Ocean, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, at 3:20 p.m. ET. On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, federal meteorologists say the Atlantic should expect another extra busy hurricane season in 2022. Tuesday's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic hurricane season forecast calls for 14 to 21 named storms, with six to 10 becoming hurricanes. (Credit: NOAA via AP, File)

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season will likely produce more storms than the 1991-2020 average for the seventh year in a row, NOAA projects. Yesterday's forecast suggests the year will see 14 to 21 named storms (tropical storms or hurricanes), with 6 to 10 hurricanes, and 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).  Sea-surface temperatures about one-half degree Fahrenheit hotter than last year in the Gulf of Mexico, heated by an unusually far north "Loop Current," are especially worrying because warm water near shore helps fuel rapid intensification that can catch coastal communities off guard. This creates more dangerous storms because “it’s higher octane fuel,” U. of Miami professor Nick Shay told The Verge. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Harvey in 2017, and Ida in 2021 were all strengthened by the Loop Current. "We’re seeing these storms happen more frequently. They’re lasting longer," FEMA Director Deanne Criswell told reporters. "We’ve seen such a dramatic change in the type of weather events that could be seen as a result of climate change." (Washington Post $, APYale Climate ConnectionsThe VergeCBSNew York Times $, USA TodayAxiosThe HillABCCNNCNBCReutersWall Street Journal $, NJ.comNBC MiamiBroward Sun-SentinelNOLA.comBloomberg $, NOLA.com; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes2021 Atlantic hurricane seasonHurricane KatrinaHurricane Harvey)

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