The Atlantic hurricane season has rested for nearly three weeks after creating historic superstorm Beryl, but the basin is about to wake up - CNN reported.
Phil Klotzbach, a storm research expert at Colorado State University (USA), said: "There will definitely be some storms about to form. They will come sooner, not too late."
Atlantic hurricane season typically begins to ramp up in August, especially during the second half of the month. But this year's hurricane season - expected to be active - got off to a historic start when Hurricane Beryl exploded into a violent superstorm in early July.
Beryl's rapid upgrade from a low pressure zone to a super storm is partly due to ocean waters in June and July being as warm as in September - a phenomenon that is becoming more and more common as the planet warms due to fossil fuel pollution.
This rapidly intensifying storm also has two other elements needed for storm formation that have been lacking so far: moist air and the absence of storm-disturbing upper-level winds, known as wind shear.
Ocean temperatures remained warm, but a large area of dry, dusty air limited moisture and helped contain tropical activity over the Atlantic following Hurricane Beryl.
This so-called Saharan dust originates from dust storms in Africa, gets trapped in a layer of air above the surface and is then carried across the Atlantic by persistent winds.
Saharan dust waves move out of Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean year-round, but high concentrations peak in early summer, as they did this year.
According to analysis by hurricane expert Michael Lowry, this July recorded the second highest concentration of Saharan dust in the Atlantic since 2002 when satellites began collecting this data.
But the dry air and Saharan dust don't last long and will likely dissipate by August, according to Klotzbach.
Dust wasn't the only factor keeping the Atlantic calm after Hurricane Beryl. According to Klotzbach, upper-level winds were too severe for storms to form in July, but signs point to calmer winds and favorable conditions in the coming weeks.
Klotzbach estimates all the necessary atmospheric conditions will converge in about the next 10 days, opening the door for more storms.
Although Klotzbach doesn't think a storm will definitely form as soon as favorable conditions converge, it's only a matter of time before it happens.
The storm forecast from the Climate Prediction Center highlights an area with potential for storm development from July 31 to August 6.
Parts of the western Atlantic and Caribbean have at least a 20% chance of hurricane development during this period.
That 20% or more chance persists through mid-August and extends across almost the entire tropical Atlantic, from western Cabo Verde to the eastern Caribbean.
The most active period of the Atlantic hurricane season usually takes place from mid-August to mid-October, with a peak around September 10.
As hurricane season awakens again, quiet periods may be few and far between.
