The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season reaches its official end today, Nov. 30.
It was a near-average season as far as the number of storms, with 14 named storms, eight hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
An average season, according to NOAA, has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
None of the storms directly affected Alabama, a fact that the National Weather Service’s Jason Beaman was very happy about. However, Florida wasn’t so lucky, sustaining hits from Category 4 Hurricane Ian and then Category 1 Hurricane Nicole.
“While we were fortunate to not be locally impacted this season, a portion of the Gulf Coast suffered a catastrophic hit when Hurricane Ian made landfall near Fort Myers,” Beaman said.
“Ian’s major storm surge and flooding rains resulted in over 100 fatalities. That is a staggering number, and our hearts are with everybody that has been impacted. It is yet another stark and sober reminder of the power and danger of water. It serves as another call to all of us to do all we can to become more resilient and better prepared to face all of the distinct threats a hurricane brings.”
The end of the season has been quiet, with the last named storm, Nicole, becoming a post-tropical storm on Nov. 11.
Here's a preliminary look at the tracks of 2022's Atlantic storms.
Some odd facts about the 2022 season:
* For the first time since 2015 there wasn’t a pre-season storm. The first storm, Alex, didn’t get its name until June 5 (the season starts on June 1).
* Bonnie jumped oceans, first becoming a tropical storm on July 1 in the Atlantic, then hitting Central America and crossing over into the eastern Pacific, where it became a Category 3 hurricane.
* Hurricane Julia also jumped oceans, hitting Nicaragua on Oct. 9 and later emerging into the eastern Pacific, where it briefly became a tropical storm again.
* Hurricane Ian, the strongest Atlantic storm of 2022, tied as one of the fifth-strongest hurricanes on record to hit the U.S. in terms of wind speed.
* Hurricane Ian took a very similar track to Hurricane Charley, which hit the same part of southwest Florida in 2004 with the same 150 mph winds.
* There was a long and highly unusual lull in tropical activity in much of July and August, with no named storms. The Atlantic basin was relatively quiet after Tropical Storm Colin’s demise on July 3 until Danielle emerged on Aug. 31.
* While July and August were quiet, November was not, with two hurricanes (Lisa and Martin) spinning simultaneously during the first part of the month.
* Three hurricanes made landfall on the U.S. mainland. Hurricane Ian made landfall first as a Category 4 storm in Cayo Costa, Fla., and again as a Category 1 in Georgetown, S.C. Hurricane Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 on north Hutchinson Island, Fla. In addition, Hurricane Fiona made landfall outside of the mainland U.S. as a Category 1 near Punta Tocon, Puerto Rico.
This year’s storm names spanned from Alex to Nicole. Here’s a look at each of them.
TROPICAL STORM ALEX (JUNE 5 - 6)
Alex got its start as the first Potential Tropical Cyclone of the year on June 2 while it was near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It was forecast to become a tropical storm and make landfall in South Florida, but Alex didn’t get its act together quick enough and instead crossed over the peninsula as Potential Tropical Cyclone One.
It emerged into the western Atlantic on June 4 while drenching South Florida and the Keys with over 10 inches of rain in some areas.
The storm strengthened once in the Atlantic and finally became 2022′s first named storm early on June 5 when it was north of the Bahamas.
Alex peaked with 70 mph winds but began to weaken on June 6 as it passed north of Bermuda, bringing gusty winds and rough seas to the island.
Alex later became extratropical over the central Atlantic on June 6.
HURRICANE BONNIE (JULY 1 - 2 in Atlantic)
Bonnie became the season’s second named storm on July 1 in the southern Caribbean after languishing for days as Potential Tropical Cyclone Two. It made landfall later that night near the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border with 50 mph winds.
Bonnie then crossed over into the Pacific and strengthened to a hurricane on July 3 while south of Mexico.
Bonnie is the first “crossover” storm since Hurricane Otto in 2016, which took a similar path but was a Category 3 hurricane when it hit Central America’s Caribbean coast.
Bonnie peaked as a Category 3 hurricane in the Pacific south of Mexico.
TROPICAL STORM COLIN (JULY 1-2)
Colin was a short-lived tropical storm.
Colin was a short-lived tropical storm that formed offshore of the South Carolina/Georgia coast and made landfall near Hunting Island, S.C., a few hours later, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Colin had peak winds of 40 mph.
Colin slowly weakened as it remained just inland and dissipated before entering North Carolina.
There were no reports of damage associated with Colin. the hurricane center said. However, a 52-year-old man drowned at a beach in Oak Island, N.C., in rough surf from the storm.
HURRICANE DANIELLE (SEPT. 1 - SEPT. 8)
Danielle was 2022′s first Atlantic hurricane.
Danielle formed on Sept. 1 in the north-central Atlantic nearly 1,000 miles west of the Azores islands and ended a nearly two-month-long lull in tropical storms in the basin, which was highly unusual.
Despite being far north and in the subtropics Danielle strengthened and became 2022′s first hurricane on Sept. 2 while about 900 miles west of the Azores.
Danielle weakened back to a tropical storm on Sept. 3 after sitting stationary for a day and upwelling colder water from the northern Atlantic but regained its hurricane title later that night.
Danielle peaked with 90 mph (Category 1) winds before moving into cooler waters and weakening to a tropical storm and then a post-tropical storm on Sept. 8.
Danielle never threatened any land areas.
It claimed the record for most days as a hurricane in the northern Atlantic:
HURRICANE EARL (SEPT. 2 -10)
Earl was 2022′s second Atlantic hurricane.
Earl skipped the depression stage and went straight from a disturbance to a named storm on Sept. 2, the same day Danielle became a hurricane.
Earl took a path northeast of the Leeward Islands but brought up to 4 inches of rain and gusty winds along with it.
Earl continued to strengthen and became a hurricane on Sept. 6 when it was 550 miles south of Bermuda.
Earl peaked as a Category 2 with 105 mph winds but weakened some as it passed less than 200 miles to the south and east of Bermuda on Sept. 9. There were some power outages but no major impacts.
Earl lost its tropical features and became a hurricane-force extratropical low on Sept. 10 when it was about 200 miles south of Newfoundland.
HURRICANE FIONA (SEPT. 14 - 24)
Fiona was the second-strongest hurricane of 2022 and brought devastating flooding to parts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Fiona got its start as Tropical Depression Seven on Sept. 14, when it was about 800 miles east of the Leeward Islands. It strengthened and became 2022′s sixth tropical storm later that night with 50 mph winds.
Fiona moved through the Leeward Islands on Sept. 16, bringing destructive flooding to the island of Guadeloupe.
Fiona continued to strengthen and became 2022′s third hurricane on Sept. 18, while it was in the process of battering Puerto Rico with torrential rain and damaging winds.
The hurricane knocked out power to the entire island on Sept. 18, and 2/3 of the island was under flash flood warnings at one point that afternoon.
Fiona made landfall on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico at 3:20 p.m. local time on Sept. 18 with 85 mph winds.
Fiona made its second landfall at 2:30 a.m. CDT on Sept. 19 on the coast of the Dominican Republic near Boca de Yuma. It had 90 mph winds at that point, the hurricane center said.
Fiona strengthened and became 2022′s first major hurricane early on Sept. 20 as it approached the Turks and Caicos Islands with 115 mph winds.
Fiona strengthened and had 125 mph winds late on Sept. 20 as it pulled away from the islands and headed northward in the direction of Bermuda.
Fiona became a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds on Sept. 21 as it headed in the direction of Bermuda. It held onto that intensity as it sideswiped the island on Sept. 22.
Fiona transitioned to a powerful extratropical storm and slammed into Atlantic Canada on Sept. 23-24, washing houses into the sea, tearing the roofs off others and knocking out power to the vast majority of two Canadian provinces, according to The Associated Press.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre said Fiona had the lowest pressure ever recorded for a storm making landfall in Canada.
Fiona has been blamed for at least 28 deaths — 25 in Puerto Rico, two in the Dominican Republic and one on the island of Guadeloupe.
TROPICAL STORM GASTON (SEPT. 20 -25)
Gaston became the season’s seventh named storm on Sept. 20 while it was about 1,000 miles west of the Azores. At the same time Fiona was battering the Turks and Caicos Islands as a Category 3 hurricane.
Gaston strengthened some and had 65 mph winds. It came close enough to the Azores on Sept. 22 that a tropical storm warning was issued for some of the islands.
Gaston brought wind and rain to the Azores then headed west and became a post tropical storm on Sept. 25.
TROPICAL STORM HERMINE ( SEPT. 23 - 24)
Hermine was a short-lived tropical storm that was confined to the eastern Atlantic. It formed just before what became Hurricane Ian but on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
Hermine got its start as a tropical depression on Sept. 23. It became the eighth tropical storm of the season later that day. Hermine peaked with top winds of 40 mph.
Hermine weakened back to a tropical depression on Sept. 24 and became a remnant low the next day.
HURRICANE IAN (SEPT. 23- SEPT. 30)
Ian was the most powerful, destructive and deadly hurricane in the Atlantic in 2022. It is blamed for more than 100 deaths in Florida, as well as several fatalities in Cuba.
Ian is considered one of the strongest storms to hit the U.S. in terms of wind speed.
Ian made three destructive landfalls:
* Cuba on Sept. 27 as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds
* Southwest Florida on Sept. 28 as a top-end Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds.
* South Carolina on Sept. 30 as a Category 1 storm with 85 mph winds.
The second landfall, near Cayo Costa on Florida’s southern Gulf Coast, made Ian one of a rare few storms to hit the U.S. with winds of 150 mph or higher. One of the others sharing that rank, oddly enough, was 2004′s Hurricane Charley. Charley was also a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds -- and it hit nearly the same area.
Ian generated speculation from weather-watchers from its very beginning when it was a tropical wave east of the Caribbean. It became Tropical Depression Nine on Sept. 23 when it was in the central Caribbean and was forecast to become a hurricane and move into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and strike Cuba and then South Florida as a hurricane.
Ian became a tropical storm late on Sept. 23 when it was in the central Caribbean more than 400 miles south of Jamaica.
Ian strengthened and became a hurricane on Sept. 26 when it was passing west of the Cayman Islands.
It continued to strengthen and became a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds just before making landfall in southern Cuba early on Sept. 27. The hurricane center said Ian’s eye made landfall just southwest of the town of La Coloma in Cuba’s Pinar Del Rio Province around 3:30 a.m. CDT.
Ian moved into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and explosively strengthened to a top-end Category 4 with winds reaching 155 mph on Sept. 28 as it neared the southwest coast of Florida.
Storm surge projections reached astounding levels -- 12 to 18 feet for part of the Florida coast.
Some veteran Hurricane Hunters said Ian was the worst storm they had flown into. The large Hurricane Hunter plane was tossed by severe turbulence and dropped 1,100 feet in a matter of seconds. A NOAA high-altitude reconnaissance plane was also rocked by strong winds.
Hurricane Ian made landfall at 2:05 p.m. CDT on Sept. 28 as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds on the southwest coast of Florida near Cayo Costa.
Ian spread wind gusts over 100 mph well inland.
Ian caused catastrophic storm surge flooding along the southwest Florida coast, devastating areas such as Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island.
It also caused extensive flash flooding across the Florida peninsula.
Ian moved crossed over Florida, moved into the western Atlantic and became a hurricane again on Sept. 29.
It made its third landfall on Sept. 30 at 1:05 p.m. CDT near Georgetown, S.C., as a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds.
It was ruled a post-tropical storm soon after landfall on that same day as it continued to dump rain on the Carolinas.
HURRICANE JULIA (OCT. 6 - 10)
Julia got its start as Tropical Depression 13, forming very close to the northern coast of South America. It strengthened to a tropical storm on Oct. 7, and hurricane warnings were issued for several Colombian islands as well as the coast of Nicaragua.
Julia quickly gained strength on Oct. 8 and became a hurricane in the southern Caribbean that night before tracking close to the Colombian islands of Andres and Providencia.
Julia quickly moved westward and made landfall in Nicaragua near Laguna de Perlas at 2:15 a.m. CDT Oct. 9 with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
Julia moved across Nicaragua and made it into the eastern Pacific, still as a tropical storm. It was the second storm to jump oceans and keep its name this year. Bonnie was the first.
Bonnie moved close to the Pacific coasts of Honduras and El Salvador as a weak tropical storm before dissipating on Oct. 10.
According to The Associated Press Julia is directly or indirectly responsible for 28 deaths in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
TROPICAL STORM KARL (OCT. 11 - 14)
Karl skipped the tropical depression stage and went straight to being a named storm, forming in the southern Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 11. But it actually got its start from Hurricane Julia. Julia struck Nicaragua as a Category 1 hurricane on Oct. 9 and then moved into the eastern Pacific. But leftover energy from Julia migrated into the southern Gulf of Mexico and morphed into Karl.
Karl strengthened and had winds up to 60 mph as it meandered in the southern Gulf. However it weakened to a tropical depression and then just a tropical low as it made landfall in southern Mexico, and all watches were discontinued for the coast.
HURRICANE LISA (OCT. 30 - NOV. 5 )
Lisa got its start as Potential Tropical Cyclone 15 on Oct. 30 in the central Caribbean. It became a tropical storm on Oct. 31 and passed south of Jamaica.
Lisa strengthened to the sixth hurricane of 2022 on Nov. 2 as it neared landfall in Belize.
Lisa made landfall on the afternoon of Nov. 2 about 10 miles south of Belize City with 85 mph winds.
Lisa later moved into the southern Gulf of Mexico as a tropical depression but wasn’t able to intensify again. It dissipated on Nov. 5.
Lisa caused extensive damage in parts of Belize but no deaths.
HURRICANE MARTIN (NOV. 1 - 3)
Martin skipped the tropical depression stage and went straight to being a named storm with 50 mph winds on Nov. 1, when it was about 550 miles east-northeast of Bermuda.
Martin was active the same time as Lisa, making it only the third time since 1966 that two named storms had been in the Atlantic at the same time in November:
Martin strengthened to a hurricane just hours after Lisa, making for a rare two simultaneous November Atlantic hurricanes and bringing the number of hurricanes up to the climatological average for the year.
Martin transitioned to a post-tropical cyclone on Nov. 3 but remained a large and strong storm over the north-central Atlantic for a few more days.
TROPICAL STORM NICOLE (NOV. 7 - 11)
Nicole was the last storm of the season.
Nicole was a late-season hurricane that struck the Bahamas and the east coast of Florida and caused rough weather up the Eastern Seaboard.
Nicole became a subtropical storm early on Nov. 7, when it was about 500 miles east of the Bahamas. It strengthened and transitioned to a fully tropical storm on Nov. 8 while still east of the Bahamas.
Nicole continued to intensify and was forecast to become a hurricane. Hurricane warnings were posted for the Bahamas and Florida’s east coast.
Nicole made its first landfall on Nov. 9 on Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas as a tropical storm with 70 mph winds.
Nicole strengthened later that day and became a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds.
It headed west and made its second landfall around 2 a.m. CST Nov. 10 on Florida’s east coast on North Hutchinson Island just south of Vero Beach. It was a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds.
Nicole made history by being the latest hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast on record: