Tropical Trends in August

As the Northern Hemisphere enters the last month of meteorological summer, the tropics typically start to ramp up with development.

The frequency of named systems in the Atlantic Basin per year goes from about one or two in July up to three named storms in August. In addition, the frequency of the number of hurricanes rises from about one every other year in July to about one to two hurricanes per year in August. Two of the main reasons there is a spike in tropical activity from July to August are warmer sea surface temperatures and less overall wind shear in the favored areas for tropical development.

Areas in the Atlantic Basin that are most susceptible to tropical cyclone development in August expand eastward across the Atlantic from June and July. The Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and areas near the Bahamas remain climatologically favored for tropical development in August; however, areas farther east from between the Lesser Antilles over to the Cape Verde Islands just off of the western coast of Africa become increasingly favorable. With the increase in potential for tropical cyclones near the Cape Verde Islands, August is also the first month for the “Cape Verde Season” - a term that was coined to describe tropical systems that develop near these islands.