WEST MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — For the first time since 2017, there have been no hurricanes in the months of June and July. There are a recorded three named storms for this season, which started June 1st.
So it seems like this year has been pretty quiet, but if we take the entire season into account we’re right on track. The peak of hurricane season starts in August and then starts to calm down in mid-October.
According to NOAA, from August through mid-October, the activity spikes, accounting for 78 percent of the tropical storm days, 87 percent of the category 1 and 2 hurricane days, and a whopping 96 percent of the major (category 3, 4, and 5) hurricane days.
Where we are in the grand scheme of things:
One of the main reasons for the lack of activity is due to dust from the Saharan Desert. This Dust creates what we call the Saharan Dust Layer which can travel thousands of miles as it gets picked up by tropical waves. According to NOAA, the dust plume is usually 2-2.5 miles thick, with its base situated about 1 mile above the Earth’s surface, which means it generally sits between 5,000 and 20,000 feet above ground level.
Current Saharan Dust
Saharan Air Layer (SAL)
The areas in red and yellow indicate a high amount of dry air and dust, this is important because any storm in the tropics needs moisture to survive. Without any moisture, it’s very difficult for storms to develop in the first place.
Good news, according to the latest Tropical Outlook from the Climate Prediction Center, this dry air aned dust is expected to remain in place and will keep things calm to start the Month of August.