For The First Time In 25 Years There Were No Named August Storms
With all the talk of an 'extra busy' Atlantic hurricane season for 2022, August was underwhelming in the tropics. Because for the first time since 1997, there were no named storms for the entire month of August.
Just a few years ago, we made it all the way through the alphabet on named storms, and had to get into the Greek alphabet to name them. That was 2020, and it brought about a storm that the state of Louisiana is still recovering from. Hurricane Delta that year broke numerous records. It was a record-tying fourth named storm to make landfall in Louisiana for that season, a record breaking tenth named storm to make landfall in the United States in a season, and the third major hurricane of the record breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
Now just two years later, we're looking at historic numbers on the opposite side. So far in 2022, we have only had 4 named storms, with one active right now. The first was Tropical Storm Alex in June, which were the leftovers of Pacific Hurricane Agatha that reformed in the Gulf of Mexico. It never grew into a hurricane once crossing Central America.
In July Tropical Storms Bonnie and Colin both formed in the first week of the month. Bonnie eventually became a Hurricane, but on the Pacific side of Central America. It became the first storm to achieve this feat since Hurricane Otto in 2016. Once in the Pacific, Hurricane Bonnie reached Category 3 status, with sustained winds of 115 mph.
Back in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Danielle may become the seasons first Atlantic hurricane of 2022. But for those in Louisiana, it doesn't look like its a threat right now.
With no named storms in August, people might start thinking that this year will be weak hurricane season. But forecasters are still advising thing could change, and change quickly. Once conditions are right, storms could start firing off quickly in the Atlantic, as early as this week.