Hurricane Center monitoring first tropical wave of 2022 season

We Love Florida Forecast: March 11, 2022

FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner highlights unique Florida weather patterns in the coming days.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The official start to the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane season isn't until June 1, but officials are already tracking some activity in the tropics.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), a tropical wave has developed near the west coast of Africa.

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"The latest satellite imagery shows an area of numerous moderate to isolated strong convection," the NHC said in an update on Monday. "Tropical wave guidance has it moving westward over the next 24-48 hours, passing well to the south of the Cabo Verde Islands."

If the system does develop into a named storm, the first on the list is Alex.

While this wave stands zero chance of developing, it serves as reminders of the approaching hurricane season and the obstacles this time of year can bring to storm prone areas.

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The National Hurricane Conference is in Orlando, Florida, where vendors are showing off some new gadgets and technology that could potentially keep people safe during a hurricane.

"The wave currently resides off the West side of Africa, an area that's notorious for developing some of the most intense hurricanes on the planet. The good news is that this particular region of the globe is nowhere close to producing storms. Water temperatures are still to cool and wind shear is present, both factors are storm killers." says FOX 35 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist Jayme King. "We turn our collective sights to this area of the tropics come late Summer and early Fall, also known in the Meteorological world as the Cape Verde Season."

The experts at Colorado State University expect the 2022 Atlantic Basin hurricane season to be another one for the record books with tropical cyclone activity expected to be well above average.

Forecasters are predicting 19 named storms, nine of which could become hurricanes. Of those nine hurricanes, four could become major hurricanes of Category 3, 4, or 5 storms, with winds of 111 mph or greater, according to CSU's report. Overall, activity is expected to be between 29% and 36% more active than any normal season.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season begin June 1st and ends November 30th. Remember to trust and depend on the FOX 35 Storm Team as we track the tropics!