July active month for Atlantic basin, with formation of two hurricanes
July was an active month for the Atlantic basin, with the formation of two hurricanes.
The Atlantic basin includes the north Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Based on a climatology data from 1981 to 2010, one named storm typically forms in the Atlantic basin in July, with a hurricane forming once every other year, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Activity in the Atlantic basin so far in 2018 is above normal, with the formation of two hurricanes in July.
August is one of the most active months in the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday the tropics currently are quiet and no tropical cyclone development is expected in the next five days.
August is one of the most active months in the Atlantic basin due to warmer seas, lower wind shear, less Saharan dry air and stronger waves.
Saharan dust
Dust from Africa's Sahara Desert inhibits the formation of tropical storms.
The dust, which is visible as a light fog, is created in the Sahara Desert in late spring and early summer and travels through strong winds to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf Coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Once African dust blows over the water, it creates dry air, and that halts tropical storms from progressing.
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The African dust occurs most years, with the majority of the dust over the open water of the eastern and central Atlantic Ocean, said Dan Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company in State College, Pennsylvania.
"As tropical waves come off the west coast of Africa, they'll develop in (the central and eastern Atlantic), and the dust has a lot of dry air associated with it and that inhibits tropical development," he said.
Paul Walker, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, said in late July there has been more dust in the eastern Atlantic Ocean recently.
El Niño
In a revised outlook by Colorado State University scientists at the end of May, a now near-average season is expected with six hurricanes — two of which could develop to major hurricanes: Categories 3, 4 or 5 with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.
More:Experts revise hurricane prediction for this season
More:NOAA forecasters predicting 10-16 named storms for 2018 Atlantic hurricane season
The number was a reduction from the school's forecast issued at the beginning of April, which predicted seven hurricanes to form in the Atlantic basin with three developing to major status.
More: Our hurricane page has info you need to know
The reason for the lower prediction is a unusual cooling of the Atlantic in the past two months, according to the meteorologists. That, and the possibility of a weak El Niño, could help suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic.
