If you have lived in Florida for any amount of time, then you are well aware of hurricane season. Protruding from the country as if to tease the tropical cyclones, The Sunshine State has unfortunately had more than its fair share of impacts from storms over the years. Technically, Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th however storms may certainly form outside of these dates. Although it is technically two months away, it is never too early for Floridians to begin to prepare and plan for the upcoming hurricane season.
Predictions for the upcoming hurricane season
The 2021 hurricane season was the third most active season on record. According to AccuWeather, we can expect a similar summer of storms in 2022 as well. Below are the storm predictions for the upcoming season:
- 16 – 20 named storms
- 6 – 8 storms becoming hurricanes
- 3 – 5 hurricanes becoming “major” (i.e. wind speeds of 111 mph or higher)
- 4 – 6 hurricanes with a direct impact on the U.S.
Florida’s tax-free holiday for disaster preparedness
As stated above, it is never too early to plan for the upcoming hurricane season. A best practice is to keep and maintain a disaster-preparedness kit for everyone who lives in an area regularly threatened by hurricanes. Many important items for this kit may be purchased during the 2022 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday which runs from May 28th through June 10th, 2022. This 14-day tax holiday removes the sales tax from certain items to help residents prepare for hurricane season. Some examples include:
- flashlights and lanterns costing $40 or less
- radios costing $50 or less
- tarps costing $100 or less
- coolers costing $60 or less
- batteries costing $50 or less
- smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and carbon monoxide detectors costing $70 or less
- generators costing $1,000 or less
Summary
The always anticipated Colorado State University hurricane season forecast is scheduled to be released on April 7, 2022. An earlier “qualitative discussion” issued in December gave the highest chance (40%) of 13 to 16 named storms, with six to eight becoming hurricanes and two to three becoming major hurricanes. Nonetheless, Floridians should brace for yet another active hurricane season in 2022.
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