Hurricane Season Nears End with Quiet Tropics and Below-Average Storm Activity

Hurricane Season Outlook

• 🗓️ With only 18 days left in the hurricane season, the tropics are expected to remain quiet.
• 🥶 Cold fronts moving through the southeast and Gulf have created conditions not conducive for tropical development.

Season Performance vs. Forecasts

• 📊 Initial forecasts predicted an above-average season with up to 17 named storms and 9 hurricanes.
• 📉 The season has resulted in 13 named storms, 5 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes, making it slightly below average.

Storm Characteristics and Patterns

• ⚖️ The season was characterized by an 'all or nothing' trend, with storms either remaining tropical storms or rapidly intensifying into major hurricanes.
• 🌊 Many storms followed a pattern of turning into the Atlantic and curving around the Bermuda High, leading to a quiet Gulf and Caribbean until late-season storms like Melissa.
• 💡 The slow movement of late-season storms allowed them to tap into available energy, as seen with Tropical Storm Melissa.

Near-Term and Seasonal Forecast

• 🚫 No tropical formation is expected over the next seven days.
• 💨 Confidence is high that there will be no tropical formation until the official end of the hurricane season on November 30.