Secondly, it's not the number of storms and hurricanes that ultimately matters in a season, but where they track.ĭespite an average number of hurricanes, at least two, if not three names could be retired from future hurricane name lists (Fiona, Ian, perhaps Nicole) because those hurricanes were so destructive and/or deadly. Eleven of the 14 storms, and all eight hurricanes, happened after August 31 in 2022. Instead, August had a surplus of both wind shear and dry air in the Atlantic Basin, as we explained in a previous piece.ĭespite all this, 2022 reinforced a couple of key points.įirst, hurricane seasons can, and often do, roar to life in August, September or October even if they start very quietly. This was particularly surprising because a La Niña was in place, which typically acts to suppress wind shear normally hostile to tropical development. It was the least active hurricane season through the end of August since 1988, as measured by the ACE index. One reason for this was hurricane season was shut out during one of its typically busy months.įor the first time in 25 years and only the third time since 1950, no storms formed in the Atlantic Basin in August. It was the lowest ACE of any hurricane season since 2015. Using the ACE (Accumulated Cyclone Energy) index, which sums up not just how many storms, but also their intensity and how long they last, the 2022 hurricane season's ACE index was about 22% below average, according to data compiled by Phil Klotzbach, tropical scientist at Colorado State University. Coastal roads, parking garages and some homes crumbled into the sea. Hurricane Nicole and a strong flow of northeast winds off the Atlantic Ocean produced massive beach erosion on Florida’s Space Coast and caused numerous beachside condos and some homes to dangle on several-foot-high cliffs looking over the Atlantic. In another case of deja vu with the 2004 season, Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach and took a similar path to 2004's Hurricane Jeanne (and Frances), although Nicole was considerably weaker. Just over a month later, Nicole transitioned from a typical late-season subtropical storm into a not-so-typical November hurricane, which then made the latest November mainland U.S. Dozens of people drowned in the hurricane’s storm surge and heavy rainfall. Most of the 150+ deaths recorded were from high water. Ian, responsible for at least a $50 billion damage toll, will be known as the deadliest storm in Florida in nearly 90 years. It also triggered widespread flooding in the Orlando metro area. This caused many Central and Northeast Florida rivers to overflow their banks and remain elevated for weeks, including the Peace and St. Ian dropped more than a foot of rain from Florida’s Gulf Coast to its Space Coast. Ian’s highest recorded wind gust was 140 mph in Cape Coral.Īfter landfall, Ian continued its widespread wrath of wind and water across Central Florida in a track nearly identical to Hurricane Charley’s track 18 years earlier. Winds gusted over 100 mph across Southwest Florida for hours.
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