After an active 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, Colorado State University (CSU) predicts that the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season will again be “above-average” with major hurricanes making landfall. The university team projected nine hurricanes, four of which are predicted to be major hurricanes.
CSU bases its hurricane season predictions on models that use 40 years of historical data and evaluates conditions, including:
- El Niño
- Sea surface temperatures
- Sea level pressures
- Vertical wind shear levels (change in speed and direction of winds with height in the atmosphere)
- Other factors
The CSU team cites the likely absence of El Niño as the major reason for the “above average” hurricane season. When El Niño is present in the Pacific, its wind shear force can literally break down hurricanes as they form in the Caribbean and Atlantic. READ MORE