MILWAUKEE - You are experiencing something that has never happened in your lifetime: the quietest Atlantic hurricane season in over a century.
Hurricane season
The backstory:
This is the first time in 112 years an Atlantic hurricane season has not had a single hurricane, to this point, at least. The only years without a recorded Atlantic hurricane were 1914 and 1907.
By the numbers:
There has been an unusual lack of tropical systems in the Atlantic. While there have been six tropical storms in the Atlantic Basin, none have strengthened into a hurricane:
- Arthur
- Bertha
- Cristobal
- Dolly
- Edouard
- Fay
It has also been an unusual active year in the Pacific. In the Eastern and Central Pacific, there have been 18 named tropical cyclones with six being hurricanes:
- Amanda
- Boris
- Cristina
- Douglas
- Elida
- Fausto
- Genevieve
- Hernan
- Iselle
- Julio
- Karina
- Lowell
- Marie
- Norbert
- Odalys
- Polo
El Niño impact
Dig deeper:
El Niño is the main reason why the season has been quiet, due to the strong upper-level winds, which lowers activity in the Atlantic Basin. The strong wind shear can tilt the storm or tear the storms apart, preventing them from forming. El Niño increases storms in the Eastern and Central Pacific Basins due to warmer ocean temperatures.
The Source: Information in this story is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, FOX Weather and the FOX6 Weather Experts.