The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season is poised to end a seven-year streak of pre-season storm activity, as forecasters say no developments are expected ahead of the season’s 1 June start.
With only five days until the official start, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, updated its Graphic Tropical Weather Outlook, which now reads, “No new tropical cyclones are expected during the next five days.”
On 10 May, the NHC was monitoring a tropical wave which originated off the West African coast. However, the system disappeared a few days later after encountering unfavourable weather conditions. Since then, a moderate tropical disturbance moved from the Gulf of Mexico inland to the US where it also dissipated.
The seven-year pre-hurricane-season storm streak began in 2015, when Tropical Storm Ana developed on 8 May. Then in 2016, Hurricane Alex formed on 12 Jan. In 2017, Tropical Storm Arlene developed on 19 April, and in 2018, Tropical Storm Alberto formed on 25 May. In 2019, Sub-tropical Storm Andrea developed on 20 May.
During 2020, which also was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, two tropical storms, Arthur and Bertha, formed on 16 and 27 May, respectively.
Then finally, Tropical Storm Ana formed on 23 May last year.
Despite the lull in storm activity, the NHC, which is a division of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorological Project have both called for an above-average hurricane season – with as many as 21 named storms and 10 hurricanes, up to six of which could strengthen into major storms.
Each year, the Cayman Islands National Weather Service forecasters review the predictions from NOAA and CSU, before issuing their own forecast.
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