For the first time since 1997, the month of August did not feature a named storm in the Atlantic. However, the tropics were quick to heat up once we jumped into September as a wave over the northern Atlantic Ocean was able to close off it's low-level circulation, resulting in Tropical Storm Danielle. As of early Friday morning, Danielle is a high-end tropical storm, with sustained winds up to 70 mph. While Danielle is forecast to remain well away from U.S soil, it's expected to become the first hurricane of the 2022 season by later today.
With that being said, Danielle is only the 4th named storm of the 2022 season. The lack of activity this summer was mainly due to the vast amount of Saharan dust that was displaced over the Atlantic basin. But it's mind-boggling to process the difference in intensity and pace of this year's
hurricane season compared to the historic season we had last year. For instance, by September 2nd last year, we
were well beyond the D-named storm, sitting at 12 named storms. On average, tomorrow marks the date in which we see the formation of our 7th named storm. So, it's safe to say that we have some catching up to do.
Aside from Danielle, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring two other tropical waves for possible development over the next 5 days. The cluster of showers and storms that's located to the east of the Lesser Antilles has the best odds for tropical formation (70% chance).
It's been a slow strengthening process for this system as it's been fighting quite a bit of dry air and also decent wind shear (change in wind speed or direction with height) during it's westward journey. Hence why it hasn't been named yet. However, if it were to become a tropical storm, the next name on the list is Earl, followed by Fiona!
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