No Atlantic Hurricanes By Midseason: Quietest Start Since 1914
So much for the massively-hyped ‘Godzilla’ El Nino we were told we would get this year. In fact, it has produced exactly the opposite effect, stopping any Atlantic hurricanes forming so far
For the first time in 112 years, the Atlantic Ocean has made it past the midway point of hurricane season without seeing a single hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center has tracked six named storms so far in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America, but none have evolved beyond tropical storms.
As of Sept. 22, Tropical Storm Fay is the Atlantic’s only active named storm, last tagged 645 miles southwest of the Azores; the National Hurricane Center announced it was weakening into a tropical depression, which keeps the hurricane-less streak going.
This is the first time the Atlantic hurricane season has been this quiet since 1914, according to meteorologists—one of two years to pass without a single hurricane since records began in 1851.
The other year was 1907. It is also the quietest start of a season since the era of weather satellites began in 1966.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its outlook for the season on Aug. 6, predicting a 75 percent chance of below-normal activity that would feature a total of seven to 13 named storms, two to six of which would evolve into hurricanes and a maximum of two becoming major hurricanes (Category 3 to Category 5).
Credit for the anticipated quiet season was given to the global phenomenon El Niño, which has also been unusually active [in] the eastern Pacific.
NOAA explained that El Niño increases wind shear over the Atlantic, making the environment far less conducive to hurricane development, and this year it has been incredibly active.
How has the mainstream media responded to this good news? Almost total silence.
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