We're about two months away from the beginning of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season and one weather forecasting company is predicting another busy period ahead of us.

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With 21 named storms last year and a record-setting 30 in 2020, meteorologists at AccuWeather are advising people to not let their guard down over the next several months.

AccuWeather is again predicting an above-normal season with a "higher-than-normal chance that a major hurricane could make landfall in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands."

Hurricane Michael - Photo: NOAA/cod.edu
Hurricane Michael - Photo: NOAA/cod.edu
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How many?

Overall, they are calling for as many as 20 named storms with six to eight of them becoming hurricanes. Out of those, three to five could become major hurricanes, defined as having winds in excess of 111 MPH (category three or higher).

Who could be impacted?

Obviously, determining specific locations that are the most at-risk is not possible this far in advance, but forecasters say southeastern Texas, around Florida, and up to the coast of the Carolinas are areas "with the greatest potential for direct impacts."

Does that mean New Jersey is out of the woods?

Not necessarily.

As we all know, it only takes one storm to wreak havoc that takes years to recover from. But on the flip side, you can have an extremely active hurricane season but no storms make landfall and it's not that big of a deal. As they say, time will tell.

Coastal Evacuation Route sign in Ocean City, NJ - Photo: Chris Coleman
Coastal Evacuation Route sign in Ocean City, NJ - Photo: Chris Coleman
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Have a plan

If a hurricane does head toward New Jersey, what would you do? Now is a good time to review these tips.

AccuWeather meteorologist and hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski says,

Don't wait until June to prepare. We've had preseason development over the last seven years and certainly you need to prepare now. So now's the time to get your hurricane plan in place.

2022 tropical storm/hurricane names

  • Alex
  • Bonnie
  • Colin
  • Danielle
  • Earl
  • Fiona
  • Gaston
  • Hermine
  • Ian
  • Julia
  • Karl
  • Lisa
  • Martin
  • Nicole
  • Owen
  • Paula
  • Richard
  • Shary
  • Tobias
  • Virginie
  • Walter

A second opinion

Colorado State University will release its annual hurricane forecast in early April and the National Hurricane Center will release theirs in May.

Hurricane season officially begins on June 1st.

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