2022 Review of Atlantic Tropics and 2023 Initial Glance
Ernesto Findlay, Senior Meteorologist, Tropical Specialist
The 2022 North Atlantic Tropical Season was an average Tropical Cyclone season with 14 named Storms, 8 Hurricanes, and 2 Major Hurricanes. A fun fact about this season was that it was the first tropical season since 1997 without a named storm during the month of August, and the first time this has ever occurred during a La Niña year.
The 2022 Hurricane season was off to a slow start with only 3 named storms through September 01st, as mentioned in our mid-season summary. The Saharan Dust played a large role in inhibiting the development of any tropical system over the first 3 months. Activity then picked up from September through November with 11 tropical systems developing throughout this period.
A few storms of note:
Tropical Storm Bonnie was a short duration storm in the Atlantic region that passed over Central America and reemerged in the Pacific Basin where it became the strongest Tropical Cyclone in the East Pacific region this year reaching Category 4 status.
Hurricane Fiona became the strongest Extratropical Cyclone in Canadian History in terms of lowest atmospheric pressure.

Hurricane Fiona making landfall over the Canadian Maritimes. Image from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
2022 Predictions versus Actual:
Storm Type | Initial Forecast issued 15th May | Mid-Season Forecast Issued 15th August | Actual Number |
Named Storms | 17-20 | 15-18 | 14 |
Hurricanes | 7-10 | 6-9 | 8 |
Major Hurricanes | 3-5 | 2-4 | 2 |
Looking back at WRI’s predictions, we note our forecast for the final total of Named Storm Storms was slightly overestimated. However, the total number of Hurricanes and Major Hurricanes were within the ranges predicted by WRI, especially in our Mid-Season forecast.
2023 Season Outlook:
Looking ahead at the 2023 season, we currently expect a normal to slightly below normal season. This is due to the ENSO cycle expected to be near normal to a potential El Niño event to develop later this year. The status of El Niño will need to be monitored over the coming months, and we will advise of a full 2023 Tropical forecast prior to May 15th.
WRI meteorologists are working hard to keep you informed of any potential tropical threats through a variety of products. These products include our Dolphin website Tropical Tracker and basin wide tropical summaries. These products are issued to your operations team and vessels approximately 3+ days ahead of the system being named, allowing for advanced notice of any potential tropical concerns. We will resume daily Tropical summaries on May 15th, 2023.
Contacts us today, to receive the most up-to-date information by consulting one of our Meteorologists who are available 24/7 to assist you.