2022 Atlantic hurricane season ends with 14 named storms

Washington, Dec 2

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season ended with 14 named storms in total.

Eight of the storms became hurricanes -- winds of at least 119 km per hour -- and two intensified to major hurricanes with winds reaching 178 km per hour or greater, reports Xinhua news agency.

An average hurricane season, which extends from June 1 to Nov. 30, has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

The impact of Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona -- which brought extensive damage to Florida's coast and Puerto Rico -- will continue to be felt long after the season ends.

Ian, which became a high-end Category 4 hurricane this fall before making landfall in Florida, killed more than 150 people in the US.

It also caused between $50 billion to $65 billion in insured damages, a report from reinsurer Swiss Re said.

The storm was one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the US in the past 20 years.

An NBC News investigation found that much of Ian's catastrophic toll was foreseeable and preventable.

NBC News found that the late September storm exposed shortcomings in how local governments communicate the risk posed by hurricanes, decide when to order evacuations, and identify and help the most vulnerable residents.