2022's Hurricanes Predicted by This Colorado University

Is your name Alex? How about Paula? Do you know a Fiona or a Gaston? If so, you have something in common with the 2022 hurricane season, as predicted by a major Colorado university.

The first hurricane predictions were released yesterday, April 7, 2022, by Colorado State University. They are predicting another "above average" season.

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What Do Hurricanes and Colorado Have to do With One Another?

Per my calculations, the Colorado state line is exactly 1,455.84 miles from the Atlantic coast. What does Colorado have to do with hurricanes? The webpage tropical.colostate.edu states:

Colorado State University has issued forecasts of Atlantic basin hurricane activity for over 37 years. Following the pioneering work of Prof. William Gray, our group continues the long CSU tradition in forecasting with continually improving techniques for predicting tropical cyclone activity powered by new research.

2022 Will Be 'Above Normal'

The following statement, in bold print no less, can be found at the Colorado State University's Tropic Weather & Climate Research page:

We anticipate that the 2022 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have above-normal activity.

colostate.edu

Hurricane Season is Just 54 Days Away (as of April 8, 2022)

According to WPLG Local 10, the 2022 forecast calls for 19 named storms, nine of which are expected to become hurricanes. WPLG adds that while hurricane season is still 54 days off, most recent years have had the first-named storm develop ahead of the official kickoff of the season.

How Do They Come Up With Names For Hurricanes?

Dan Kottlowski, a senior AccuWeather meteorologist offered an explanation as to how the "naming" system works:

During World War II, it became highly noticed that [the United States] was losing ships in the west Pacific because of hurricanes,” Kottlowski said. “So, coming out of the war, a large amount of research took place to understand these storms and make people more aware of them. As a part of that project, [the military] started naming them.” - Dan Kottlowski w/ AccuWeather.com

AccuWeather.com adds, "Kottlowski went on to explain that initially, these names were based on the military’s phonetic alphabet. However, beginning in 1979, the WMO started using a repeating system of human names in an effort to standardize the practice."

Hurricanes occurring in the Atlantic basin are named based upon six, alphabetized, 21-name lists (you'll notice there are no Q, U, X, Y, or Z's). The lists are on a six-year rotation. Every seventh year the process reverts back to the first list.

2022 Hurricane Predictions From Colorado State University

The first hurricane predictions were released April 7, 2022, from Colorado State University. This year's predictions call for another above average season. The forecast is for 19 named storms with nine of them becoming hurricanes. Hold on, 2022 may be a little bumpy. Check out the waiting list of names for this year's potential storms. Do you know anyone by these names?