Still no hurricanes: Early-season remains inactive

The Atlantic hurricane basin continues its quiet trend into a new month, with no tropical activity expected.

The last 28 days of July were quiet as the only two short-lived tropical storms, Bonnie and Colin, formed and either moved across Central America into the East Pacific (Bonnie) or dissipated (Colin) in the month’s first three days.

Surprisingly, the start of the 2022 season is running about average compared to the long-term averages.

The recent streak of no Atlantic activity, which will last at least through the next five days, is unusual. Hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach says there have been only five recorded seasons where no storm activity has occurred between July 3rd and August 3rd.

This lack of storm activity doesn’t foretell a quiet rest of the season. Climatologically, the Atlantic Hurricane Season doesn’t peak until September, with a ramp-up of activity seen during the last half of August.

Other indicators of a possible busy season ahead are still present. La Niña, the periodic cooling of the equatorial Pacific, is known to help storm development.

Sea-surface temperatures are running above normal across the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and along the U.S. Atlantic Seaboard.

However, the tropical central Atlantic is running slightly cooler, which could be a factor in the lack of tropical development coming off western Africa and the Cape Verde islands.