22 Grenada 2004 Photo by Frankie Michael By Franklyn Michael, Supplementary Associate, CARICAD T he information shown below was taken from web pages of The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) • References to the Atlantic Hurricane Season pertain to the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. • A tropical storm is not designated a hurricane until it has sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (74 mph) or greater. • In the years from 1966 to 2020 there were no major hurricanes in the Atlantic in the years shown below: 1968 1972 1986 1994 2013 • The yearly averages of storms from 1930 to 2020 are: Named storms – 12.3 Hurricanes – 6.4 Major hurricanes – 2.5 • From 1966 to 2020 there were at least four named storms in each year. • There were seven major hurricanes in 2005. That same year there was a storm that had both the lowest central pressure and the fastest intensification – Hurricane Wilma. • In 2020 the Atlantic basin had 30 named storms. Fourteen became hurricanes and six became major hurricanes of Category 3 status or higher. The previous record of 28 storms was set in 2005. The first storm was Arthur, formed on May 16. The official list of names was required by the time Wilfred appeared on September 18. The Greek alphabet was used for the remainder of the season. That was only the second time. The records date from 1851. “Overall, the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season featured near normal activity in terms of the number of named storms and hurricanes, but was slightly below average in terms of the number of major hurricanes. In 2022, 14 named storms formed, of which eight became hurricanes, and two became major hurricanes - Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. This compares to the long-term (1991-2020) averages of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.” • The longest lasting hurricane on • Continues on next page
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