There's a little more than a week left in July, and we haven't had a single hurricane in the Atlantic this year.
That's not to say we haven't had SOME tropical storm activity.
So far this year, we've seen three very short-lived tropical storms: Ana, Bill, and Claudette. But most of the time, the National Hurricane Center's homepage looks like this:
Remember though, before the season even began, the National Hurricane Center forecasted a slower than usual season with only six to eleven named storms and about half of those becoming hurricanes.
The slow hurricane season is mostly getting blamed on the current El Niño, which is shaping up to possibly be one of the strongest we've seen in years. Plus, El Niño years are notorious for suppressing hurricane activity in the Atlantic and increasing it in the Pacific.
Just because there hasn't been a named hurricane yet, and only three storms have been named doesn't mean the season's a complete wash.
It's just the opposite.
Hurricane season begins on June 1, but it usually doesn't start to ramp up until the beginning of August, and more often than not, into September.
On average, the first named hurricane usually occurs by August 10.
And for the last week of July, conditions are beginning to look ripe for some hurricane development off the coasts of Florida as a front stalls out, ocean waters warm up, and wind shear dies down - three ingredients that can make a hurricane.
