Currently, the Atlantic hurricane season is calm after opening in mid-June with three storms named Alberto, Chris and Beryl.
Among these, Beryl broke all historical records for early-season storms, becoming the earliest super storm in the season.
Beryl quickly intensified faster than any other storm on record early in the season as its winds increased by 104 km/h in just 24 hours.
The storm took advantage of extremely warm waters and eventually strengthened into the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic - one of the milestones that no early July storm has achieved.
The US National Hurricane Center's storm forecast predicts no tropical development anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean for at least the next seven days.
If there's ever a time to book a cruise during hurricane season, it's now, the second half of July.
There are several reasons for the lull in storms during the current period.
First, on the climate front, it's time to transition to storms that originate in Africa and take days to cross the Atlantic.
Second, Saharan dust is reaching its highest level, spreading across the Atlantic basin, hindering storm development. The Saharan dust's thick layer of hot, dry air causes deep moisture loss, while the dust can also reflect sunlight, slightly cooling the oceans. These factors can all limit thunderstorms - the cause of tropical storms and hurricanes.
Stronger winds in the Saharan dust also increase wind shear, hindering storm development.
This year, there's also a third, the Madden-Julian Oscillation or MJO.
The MJO is the largest factor of intraseasonal variability in the tropical atmosphere. It is a large-scale link between atmospheric circulation and tropical deep convection.
The MJO is a dynamic pattern that propagates eastward through the atmosphere above the warm oceanic portions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Each MJO cycle lasts approximately 30-60 days, which can strengthen or suppress storms.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the highlight of hurricane season is from late August to October - with 82% of hurricane season activity typically occurring during this period. From August, the MJO will move back to a more favorable position for storms to develop.
