July’s Hurricane History - 2023
Bottom Line: We’re set to enter July essentially where we were last year, having had three named storms through June, albeit with a theoretical 4th storm – an unnamed subtropical storm which the National Hurricane Center decided in May had occurred in January. Technically we only had one named storm through June of last year, however two formed on July 1st. With nothing that’s expected to develop on the National Hurricane Center’s map over the next 7-days, we’re set to have a benign start to the 2nd month of hurricane season. So, about that...here's a breakdown of July’s hurricane history...
There are six months to hurricane season but as you're aware, there's nothing even about the activity within them. June has historically been the month with the fewest named storms, though that wasn’t the case last year, as somewhat remarkably, August was the only month without a named storm. Here’s a look at where we historically stand entering July based on recorded activity. Record keeping for the Atlantic hurricane season began officially in 1851. By looking at how many storms have formed in each month, here's how far through hurricane season we typically are by July:
- 7.5% of all tropical storms have occurred prior to July
- 4% of all hurricanes have occurred prior to July
Based on typical activity we have well over 90% of what will develop during hurricane season in front of us. July is the 4th most active month for tropical storm development and 5th most active for hurricane formation. So, what typically happens in July?
- We average .7 tropical storms & .3 hurricanes
For the entire month of July, we only average one named tropical system. It's worth noting that El Nino, which helps mitigate tropical activity, is currently with us. Fingers crossed for a quiet July in the tropics.