For the first time since 2002, no hurricanes formed in the Atlantic basin through the month of August. Six tropical storms developed, but each was short-lived and relatively weak.
There have been four other years since 1960 with no hurricanes through August. In three of those years, four hurricanes formed in the month of September, so the odds are high that the tropical season will become more active this month.
In addition, in 2002, the entire season produced 12 named storms, including four hurricanes in the months of September and October.
On a side note, the lack of hurricanes this year, at least to this point, continues the current stretch of no major hurricanes (Category 3, 4, or 5) hitting the United States since Wilma in 2005. This is the longest known such period since the 1860s.
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