Hurricane season kicks off today

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - Today marks the official start of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. And yes, we have already seen one hurricane this year, but that was in the Pacific Ocean. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season starts earlier on May 15 and runs until November 30.

Hurricane Agatha made landfall on Monday, May 30, as a Category 2 storm which makes it the earliest a Category 2 storm to have made landfall along Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Agatha then moved over the mountain terrain of south Mexico and broke apart. But the remnants of this system are now entering the Gulf of Mexico.

The remnants of Agatha now have a 70% chance of development in the next 2 days and an 80% chance of development in the next 5 days (as of 12 pm June 1). If this system becomes more organized, it could pose a threat to Florida and the Bahamas over the weekend and early next week. The first name on this year’s list is Alex, and it looks like this system might claim that name.

We are also watching another disturbance out in the Atlantic off the coast of Florida. This system has a very low 10% chance of development (as of 12 pm June 1).

Last year was the third busiest season on record, with 21 named storms. According to NOAA, it follows 2020 with 30 named storms — the most ever recorded — and 2005, which ranks second with 28 storms. This year is expected to be another above-average season, with NOAA calling for 6 to 10 hurricanes, with 3 to 6 of those reaching Category 3 strength or stronger.

Now is the time to make sure you have a hurricane preparedness plan ready to go! Check out the state’s preparedness guide: https://getagameplan.org/

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