Last week, the Colorado State University’s (CSU’s) Tropical Meteorology Project released an updated version of its Extended Range Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and Landfall Strike Probability for 2022. The researchers have increased their forecast and now anticipate well above-average activity for the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.

The updated forecast projects there will be 20 named storm – those reaching the criteria for hurricanes, tropical storms, or sub-tropical storms – and that there is a 76 percent chance of at least one major hurricane making landfall somewhere on the entire U.S. coastline (with a 51 percent chance on the U.S. East Coast, including Peninsula Florida, and a 50 percent chance for the U.S. Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Brownsville, Texas). Factors contributing to the potential increased hurricane activity include expected weak La Niña conditions over the summer and above average sea surface temperatures. For more information on how your utility can prepare for hurricanes and other natural disasters visit the EPA's Drinking Water and Wastewater Resilience page and its Emergency Response for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities page. Access the updated report at CSU.