Today marks the end to an uneventful Atlantic hurricane season for Texas

Wednesday marks to the end to an uneventful 2022 Atlantic hurricane season for Texas.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initially predicted an “above normal” hurricane season this year with 14-21 named storms forming in the Atlantic region.

However, the seas were relatively quiet through August — a period of calm that hasn’t occurred in about eight decades, according to Space City Weather Meteorologist Eric Berger.

“It was really a rather bizarre season,” Berger said. “Overall, it ended up being a slightly below normal season in terms of activity.”

​Activity eventually ramped up in September with seven named storms, two of which were hurricanes. Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico in mid-September and Hurricane Ian devastated the state of Florida in late September. Hurricane Nicole soon followed, making landfall on November 10 in Florida.

In all, there were 14 named storms in 2022 and a total of eight hurricanes, according to NOAA.

Berger said later-season months usually bring about warm sea temperatures and low wind shear – among other factors – that come together to create major storms.

However, according to NOAA, the mid-season pause is believed to be caused by “increased wind shear and suppressed atmospheric moisture high over the Atlantic Ocean.”

Berger added that the threat of a major storm making landfall in Texas was largely reduced after September.

“We’ve been in this nice, pretty quiet period of not having to worry about it for October and November,” Berger said.

​While we may have gotten off this year, Berger said it’s important to be prepared for next year’s hurricane season.

“It’s only six months until the beginning of the next hurricane season,” Berger said. “It’s never really too early to start thinking about preparations.”