Looking at the satellite picture, there are no hurricanes in the Atlantic at this point, from Miami to the west coast of Africa, where the beginning stages of tropical systems can start to form. This includes the Caribbean and Gulf (not pictured), which are considered part of the "Atlantic Basin".
On the second graphic, you can see the average frequency of storms in the Atlantic basin, which had its peak last Thursday, September 10. Now we're past the peak and have not had one hurricane at all yet this season, which runs from June 1-Nov 30.
Records show that this is the first time this has happened in at least 60 years. We say 60 years on the 3rd graphic there because 1966 is the beginning of what's known as the satellite era. This was a huge tool in the meteorology arsenal because it gave us, for the first time, the ability to look at the entire oceans and waterways where hurricanes develop.
Now, as far as what is in the record books, you can go back to 1941 to find the last year when we didn't have a hurricane in the Atlantic Basin as of September 12th. But without satellite data, one can't be entirely sure that is accurate. Hurricanes could have formed undetected by ships, airplanes, and in between pieces of land in or close to the oceans, seas, gulfs, etc.
The strong El Niño is probably the biggest factor suppressing development in the Atlantic this year. But there are other factors such as Saharan Dust, which tends to dry out the atmosphere, and wind shear (wind changing speed and direction, especially with height), which tends to rip apart tropical systems.
But keep in mind, although this is great news for Atlantic and other coastal areas, the season is just past peak, and hurricanes could develop later this month and October because there is still plenty of warm water around (which tropical systems thrive on). For now, enjoy the ride, especially if you're vacationing in a hurricane-prone area.
Thanks to the meteorologists and folks at Accu-Weather for some of the background information in this article.
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