Nearing the peak of hurricane season, it’s been a month since a named storm has appeared in the Atlantic Basin, despite estimates of an above-average season from NOAA.
State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s been eerily quiet and the lack of a named storm from July 15th to August 15th is rare.
“This has only happened twice over the past 20 years, back in the 1999 season, and the 2015 season. It’s clearly not unprecedented, but it's certainly not common.”
For the most part, seas have been calm and NOAA’s tropical outlook does not forecast any new storms forming over the next five days. Keim says the last time that happened a lot of residents in the area weren’t even born.
“The last time the Atlantic went from July 15th all the way through August 19th with no named storms was 1982.”
That being said, Keim warns not to let your guard down even if we escape the month of August without any trouble. The last time that happened the Atlantic woke up in a rage for September.
“Back in 1961 we had no named storms in the month of August, which is kind of hard to imagine, but then September had three major hurricanes.”
NOAA’s prediction of an above-average season was due to the disappearance of the El Nino this year.