NYC Faces Another 'Unprecedented' Hurricane Season, Mayor Says

NEW YORK, NY — New Yorkers should prepare for another "unprecedented" hurricane season to descend on the city next month, city officials warned Tuesday.

The 2022 hurricane season, which begins June 1 and escalates through the fall, could see 21 extreme storms hit the East Coast, marking the seventh year in a row of above-average storms, officials and national forecasters said.

"I want every New Yorker to be ready," Adams said Tuesday. "We must be smart, we must be safe, we must be prepared."

There's a 70 percent chance the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season will bring between 14 and 21 "named storms," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned.

Up to 10 of those storms could become hurricanes and as many as six could be major hurricanes, according to NOAA.

“The impact of one storm can be felt for years,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D.

The forecasted season would likely put 2022 on par with 2021, when the United States battled 21 named storms, according to NOAA.

The 2021 season was the third-most active storm season on record (2020 was the most active with 30 named storms).

The devastation of one 2021 storm, Hurricane Ida, was particularly fresh in New Yorkers' minds at Tuesday's press conference.

Thirteen people, many of whom were trapped in basement apartments, died when Ida brought unprecedented flooding across the five boroughs last September.

The city is still working on getting an exact count of the often-unregulated basement apartments to help reach residents who live there for the storms, the mayor said Tuesday.

State lawmakers are working on legalizing the basement units, which often go unchecked for safety hazards given their illegal status.

“There are tens of thousands of New Yorkers living in basement apartments right now," Assemblymember Harvey Epstein said earlier this month. "They live without the same strong tenant protections that other renters enjoy."

Emergency officials said Tuesday they are more prepared for severe rainfall this year than in 2021, when no evacuation warnings were issued before Ida swept the city.

"We had not seen rain like that — but we know it will happen again," Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell said.

New Yorkers can prepare for the hurricane season by making sure they know if they live in one of the city's six evacuation zones, which can be checked online.

A text alert system will be used to before storms to warn certain zones of evacuation orders and other instructions, officials said.

City dwellers should also put together go-bags of supplies and check on vulnerable neighbors when storms are approaching, officials said.

"This is a moment where we should know each other," Adams said. "We together can ensure that we save the lives of New Yorkers."