ORLANDO, Fla. -- The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season appeared to be getting started early, with Alberto developing in late May. Then, in early July, Beryl and Chris developed fast and within a few days of each other.

  • We've seen 3 named storms this hurricane season so far
  • Since early July, we haven't seen any tropical development
  • 3 factors creating unfavorable development conditions

Since then, the Atlantic basin has gone quiet. 

It is important to note from the beginning, however, that having a fairly quiet tropical season at this point isn't uncommon, and the season runs through Nov. 30, with tropical activity generally peaking in August and September.

Right now, the atmospheric conditions for most of the Atlantic basin continue to be extremely unfavorable for development. There are three main reasons:

First, ocean water temperatures are abnormally cooler than average in the eastern Atlantic.

Tropical systems need ocean waters to be 80 degrees or warmer to help fuel their growth and development. Ocean temperatures so far have only been in the 70s and even the 60s across the eastern Atlantic and just off the coast of Africa.

The warmest ocean waters are in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Also, winds higher up in the atmosphere are too strong for thunderstorm complexes to organize into a tropical system.

The strong winds aloft are also pushing Saharan dust into the eastern Atlantic from Africa. This dust is aiding in keeping ocean temperatures cooler than normal and is also keeping the air dry in this region. So to begin August, we are seeing little thunderstorm activity in the eastern Atlantic, thanks to the abundant dry air.

Again, it is important not to let your guard down this hurricane season. The weather can change in a moment's notice, and we're entering the busy period of the Atlantic hurricane season.

During August and September, the percentage of named storms goes from 8 percent in July to 27 percent in August, peaking in September at 34 percent with the tropical activity slowly tapering off in October and November.

Of course, stay up-to-date with any potential tropical development with StormTracker 13 on Spectrum News 13 during the tropical updates at :51 past every hour.