JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Atlantic hurricane season is expected to heat up just as we move from August to September. This is when things usually get busy with storms. Experts who study hurricanes still believe this season will be very active, maybe even one of the busiest ever.
But how many storms have we had so far, and how does this compare to a typical year?
By Aug. 16, there had already been five tropical systems: two tropical storms and three hurricanes, all of which were ahead of schedule for a season that hadn’t yet reached its peak. The peak season begins around Sept. 10, when hurricane development conditions become even more favorable.
So far, Hurricanes Beryl and Debby have hit the United States, while a third hurricane may impact Bermuda.
In total, the five named storms, lasting 21 storm days, have resulted in a combined accumulated cyclone energy level of 46.7 and rising. This is three times the normal activity to date.
The major hurricane storms typically hold off until the end of August, as historically, 95% of all Category 3 or higher hurricanes have occurred after this time.
At least for now, the tropics are set to take a breather after Hurricane Ernesto. Over the next 10 days or so, tropical activity will be suppressed across the Atlantic due to another batch of dry Saharan dust moving off of Africa, which may hold down tropical wave development until September.