Hurricane specialist Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University and hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross of FOX Weather discuss the ongoing quieter period for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Hostile factors in the eastern Atlantic, including cooler waters near the coast of Africa, are helping to contain storm activity.

September is historically the peak of hurricane season, when a cyclone is most likely to pass over the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. However, some years the hurricanes are more active than others.

Since 1851, 732 cyclones have been tracked over the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in September.

Yet during the last 173 years for which data are available, there has not been a season in which at least one cyclone did not cross the Atlantic in September.

This month typically sees the highest water temperatures of the year in the basin, and shear in the upper atmosphere is relatively low compared to other months of the season.

Despite the normally favorable conditions, there were seasons when the atmosphere was not particularly conducive to the formation of tropical cyclones.

A FOX Weather analysis found that in nearly a dozen years, only one tropical cyclone has been reported in September, the last of which occurred in 1939.

Other years include 1851, 1855, 1862, 1890, 1895, 1902, 1914, 1925 and 1930 – all before the modern satellite era.

HURRICANE SEASON 2022: AUGUST ENDS WITHOUT NAMED STORMS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES

In September, 732 cyclones were reported in the Atlantic basin

(NOAA)

The modern satellite era is considered by meteorologists to be the time when data accuracy improved significantly and reliance on observer data was no longer necessary.

The era in the Atlantic Basin began in the 1960s with the launch of the first television infrared observation satellite, commonly referred to as TIROS-1.

TIROS-1 was the first operational weather satellite and led to a series of TIROS launches in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Before the satellite era, meteorologists acknowledged that it was entirely possible that there were tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes that never made it into the historical database, but without observations, these systems are never counted.

The first television infrared observation satellite, commonly referred to as TIROS-1.

(NOAA)

WHERE TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES TYPICALLY OCCUR IN EACH MONTH OF THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON

The September with the least activity in recent history was that of 2014. At that time, only two cyclones formed in a tropical season that was well below average.

During the neutrally influenced El Niño-Southern Oscillation year, eight named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes formed between June 1 and November 30.

Tropical Storm Dolly formed on September 1 and struck Mexico and southern Texas, while Hurricane Edouard developed in the central Atlantic and eventually moved out to sea without causing any damage.

At the time, hurricane experts, including those at Colorado State University, expected the year to be relatively quiet, and the seasonal outlook did not disappoint.

Six years later, during the 2020 season, the Atlantic Basin experienced its stormiest September on record, with 10 named storms.

In total, 30 named storms formed during the seven-month period between May and November, with 14 cyclones developing into hurricanes and seven reaching major hurricane status.