Hurricane season has had the quietest start in 30 years with NO named storms since July 3

THE Atlantic hurricane season got off to the quietest start in 30 years, experts say.

There have been no named storms since July 3, and August may be off track at all, contradicting preseason forecasts.

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Two “tropical disturbances” tracked in the Gulf failed to develop into cyclones over the past two weekends.

There have only been three named tropical storms so far this year — Alex in early June and Bonnie and Colin in early July.

It’s the first time since 1992 that no named storms formed in the Atlantic basin between July 3 and August 22, said hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach.

And if none forms in the next week, there will be a hurricane-free August for the first time in 25 years and only the third time in 40 years.

dr Klotzbach, a weather forecaster at Colorado State University, said, “The long quiet stretch was quite surprising given that the hardy LaNina is local to the tropical Pacific and tropical Atlantic surface temperatures are warmer than normal.”

Dry air from the Sahara is said to linger over the western Atlantic, inhibiting storm formation.

dr Kim Wood, an expert at Mississippi State University, said only five seasons since 1966 through August 20 have had lower storm activity overall.

But the unusually calm start to the season doesn’t mean storms wouldn’t come later, she warned.

Depressions in the Atlantic basin are officially defined as tropical storms — and given names — when winds reach 40 mph (63 km/h).

They are classified as hurricanes when sustained wind speeds exceed 120 km/h.

In early June, Tropical Storm Alex killed four people in Cuba before dumping 11 inches of rain in Miami.

In early July, Hurricane Bonnie – with winds reaching 185 km/h – killed at least two people in Mexico and caused flooding in Nicaragua.

And Tropical Storm Colin on July 4th caused travel chaos with thousands of delayed or canceled flights across the US.

Just a few weeks ago, meteorologists warned that another 17 strong storms would hit the United States in the coming months.

Colorado State University meteorologists predicted ten hurricanes would be classified as Category 3 or higher.

Scientists from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration also forecast an above-average season with six to ten hurricanes.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, typically peaking in mid-September.

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