Hurricane Season's Cranking Up

The official hurricane season forecast back in late May and early June was hinting at a VERY active season for tropical storms and hurricanes.  So far, only 3 named storms and one hurricane.  Will this change?  Will the tropics get more active in the month of August?  All indications are that they will. 

Click here for the National Hurricane Center

Let's head out into the open Atlantic Ocean where the tropical storms often occur.  This year, the amount of dust coming off of the African continent has been above normal.  This has suppressed tropical storm development.  Notice that the organized cloud cover is south of the dust area? Thunderstorms have develops south and are heading west and northwest into warmer ocean waters.

Warm pockets of ocean water are forming in the central atlantic which coincides with the newest tropical depression.  We can expect the ocean to continue warm into August.

Closer to home, the tropics have been very quiet.  No organized storms in the last several weeks.

What is the forecast track on this new tropical system?  Check out the following map.  It looks eerily consistent bringing it closer to home.

Even the National Hurricane Center concurs on this forecast.

If you are vacationing along the east coast, this year and in the next several years could be very active with tropical systems and/or hurricanes impacting the east coast.

Stay tuned for more hurricane updates in the days and weeks ahead.