SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
It is peak hurricane season in the Atlantic, but there have not been many storms recently. NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports that this quiet period appears to be coming to an end.
REBECCA HERSHER, BYLINE: The Atlantic hurricane season goes from June all the way through November, but most storms usually happen between late August and the end of October. This year, August and September have been strangely quiet. There hasn't been a hurricane since August 12. Matthew Rosencrans is the lead hurricane forecaster for the National Weather Service.
MATTHEW ROSENCRANS: It has been quiet. It has been anomalously quiet. It's weird to have a quiet period during this part of the season.
HERSHER: But that won't last, he says.
ROSENCRANS: I think there's a lot more of the hurricane season left to go.
HERSHER: On average, 70% of storms in a given year happen between August 20 and October 31 - so right now. And he says the reason for the lull in storms in the last few weeks is that moisture coming off West Africa, which hurricanes need when they're forming, has been hanging out in an abnormal spot farther north than usual, so it's been hard for storms to develop. But those conditions in the Atlantic are changing, and because of climate change, the water in the Atlantic is incredibly warm compared to normal, which helps storms get big and powerful. That's why forecasters expect a lot of storms could form in the coming weeks.
ROSENCRANS: Don't let your guard down now. There are many years where we've had seven hurricanes after September 5.
HERSHER: There are already signs that the season might be picking up. There have been multiple disturbances in the Atlantic just this week - basically, areas where it looks like a storm might form. Of course, not all hurricanes that do form will hit the U.S. or even hit land at all, but it only takes one to cause a ton of damage, says Rosencrans.
ROSENCRANS: I do hope people have taken this lull to prepare because the storms are going to come at some point. The planet makes them. They are coming at some point.
HERSHER: Rebecca Hersher, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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