We’re entering the most active time for hurricane season

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Believe it or not, we’re now moving through the month of August here in 2021. That means a few things: it’s going to be hot, school is starting, football is around the corner, and hurricane season is about to ramp up.

It’s that last one that we’re going to focus on here.

Hurricane season began back on June 1st, and it’s been an above normal season so far. We’ve had five named storms, including a few U.S. landfalls with Claudette, Danny and Elsa.

But it’s this time of year that requires the most attention when it comes to tropical trouble in the Atlantic.

That’s because August begins a typically active 3-month stretch with hurricane season peaking right around September 10th, on average.

August has brought plenty of tropical storms and hurricanes to the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and East Coast of the United States in years past. With an above normal forecast for named storms this year, there’s no reason to think that won’t be the case here in 2021.

Development hot spots to watch out for in August include the Caribbean and the open waters of the Atlantic. Those are the common formation locations for tropical systems in August.

Once forming, tropical systems tend to have paths that take them through the Caribbean, the Southwest Atlantic and up the East Coast. Not all storms abide by the rules obviously, but those are the areas that see most of the action.

As we head into September, the Atlantic heats up even more with nearly the entire region highlighted as being a likely formation spot.

Hot spots for development in September include the Caribbean on both sides of the islands, the Gulf of Mexico and the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Typical paths for storms once they form include the Caribbean on both sides of the islands, the East Coast, the Western Atlantic, and especially the Gulf of Mexico.

So it’s definitely time to have a plan in place and a kit ready to go. It only takes one storm to not only cause massive problems, but to change your life.

For more on tropical cyclone climatology, you can click here.

Copyright 2021 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.