A South Florida Hurricane Season Unlike the Others
Its time now to start preparing for Hurricane Season 2022. The National Hurricane Center (“NHC”) is predicting another very active hurricane season and the potential for a pre-season named storm.
As an early sign of the number of storms being expected, NHC is considering extending the dates for Hurricane Season. Hurricane Season historically has run from June 1 through November 30. However, this year the Hurricane Center is considering moving Hurricane Season start date to May 15 based upon recent history where tropical activity begins in the month of May. In fact, it has been seven hurricane seasons in a row in which there has been pre-season tropical storm development.
Will There Be Many Hurricanes in 2022?
The National Hurricane Center tracks the number of storms from past years and makes predictions for the coming year. In 2021, there were 21 named storms, of which 7 were hurricanes. Of the 7 hurricanes, 4 of them were categorized as major hurricanes, and 8 of the named storms impacted the US coastline.
For 2022, NHC is predicting a similar season. NHC is predicting 16-20 named storms, of which 6-8 storms would be hurricanes. Of those 6-8 hurricanes, 3-5 storms are expected to become major hurricanes, and 4-6 of the named storms are predicted to impact the US coastline. For both 2021 and 2022, the storm numbers are way above average. Typically, a normal hurricane season will see 14 named storms with 7 hurricanes.
What Can Florida Homeowners Do to Prepare for Hurricane Season?
The first place to start in your preparations is your insurance policy. Take a look at your windstorm coverage usually found under Coverage A of your policy. Make sure you have full coverage for your roof and all exterior structures – your guest house, fences, pool cabanas and the like. Take a look at all the endorsements attached to your policy. Scan the endorsements for any that reference “windstorm”, hurricane deductible, and see if there are any exclusions that may apply. Many standard endorsements attached to your homeowner’s insurance policy might as well be written in Greek as they are a little difficult to understand.
Another way to prepare is to begin taking videotape and photographs of your home, and its belongings. Storm tracks can vary and change rapidly. Storms that are predicted within the “cone of certainty” often change directions abruptly and affect areas that were not considered to be impacted. With these abrupt changes, homeowners do not always have time to protect their belongings. Getting ahead of the game by documenting the condition of your home and its belongings will make for a much calmer and effective preparation for a hurricane. This way, if the worst happens, you will have evidence that the hurricane caused the property damage.
Don’t Wait Too Long to Prepare
Keep in mind, now is the time to make changes to your insurance coverage. Once a named storm is in the Atlantic, insurance companies will no longer allow you to add coverages. Take inventory of your insurance policy and your belongings and make sure you are protected for the 2022 Hurricane Season.