hurricane season

Earl Poised to Become First Major Hurricane of 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season

While its major hurricane status is anticipated to be short-lived, it will have ancillary impacts on New England

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The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season continues to be rather uneventful, though it looks like that may change this weekend.

Hurricane Earl is forecast to become the first major hurricane of the season this Friday. Its winds are currently at 85 miles an hour and moving north. This storm is in the early stages of making a turn to the right. It’s entering a conducive environment with weaker shear and warm sea surface temperatures, which will allow the hurricane to further intensify. The center is forecast to pass southeast of Bermuda, but the wind field will grow, bringing tropical storm force winds across the island starting Thursday. It’s forecast to have maximum sustained winds at 130 mph.

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While its major hurricane status is anticipated to be short-lived, it will have ancillary impacts on New England. Because of the wind strength of the storm over the Atlantic, significant swells are expected to reach the Eastern seaboard later this week. Waves generated from Earl will be between 5 and 8 feet on Friday along the beaches of Chatham, Eastham and Provincetown. A moderate risk of rip currents is in effect Thursday, becoming high on Friday.

Hurricane Danielle was the first named hurricane of the season. It’s producing a large area of rough seas over the central-north Atlantic. The fourth named storm of the season arrived later than average. It formed late last week. This is the latest first hurricane to form in the Atlantic since 2013. Danielle is moving northeastward at nearly 16 miles an hour. The storm will encounter higher shear and cooler sea surface temperatures and will gradually weaken to a tropical depression.

In the Atlantic, the average first major hurricane is around September 1, with the peak of hurricane season in the Atlantic on September 10. Hurricane season ends on November 30.

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