Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami have no tropical waves in their sights worth mentioning in today’s Atlantic tropical weather outlook. The season usually shows a quick jump in named storms in August and September as sea surface temperatures rise and westerly trade winds calm down. The peak of the Atlantic season is Sept. 10.
Three weak tropical waves are being watched but none show signs of immediate strengthening.
Forecasters say high pressure and dry conditions are limiting development of tropical systems in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea.
Here is typical report in the hurricane center’s tropical weather discussion today:
“An upper ridge extends across the tropical Atlc from Africa into the E Caribbean and covers the E Atlc E of 35w. However, due to the abundance of dry air, any shower activity is severely limited.”
Moderately strong trade winds are also limiting storm development, forecasters said.
Only three tropical storms have been named so far this year — none of them grew to hurricane status, which requires sustained winds of 74 mph or higher.
In 2005, the Atlantic had nine named storms through mid-August, four of which reached hurricane status. Katrina — the fifth named hurricane of 2005 — was born on Aug. 23 off the Bahamas
BY DAVID LARIMER, FLORIDA TODAY
