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Tropics Tracker: African wave train chugs along

Here’s how the 2021 and 2020 season compare

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and captured by NOAA's GOES-16 shows lightning swirling around the eye of Hurricane Ida as the storm approaches the Louisiana coast, Sunday morning, Aug. 29, 2021. (NOAA via AP) (Uncredited)

ORLANDO, Fla. – The remnants of Ida have officially moved away from the U.S. after bringing another round of devastating damage to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Behind Ida, Larry is expected to become a monster hurricane in the open Atlantic. Interests in Bermuda should pay close attention to this storm.

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Another wave of low pressure has the chance to develop as it nears the Cabo Verde islands over the next couple of days.

Beyond that, yet another tropical wave looks to emerge off Africa and enter the Atlantic. That shouldn’t happen until around Sep. 10, the climatological peak of hurricane season.

Hurricane development is very quiet through June and July and typically ramps up as August begins. The peak of hurricane season occurs September 10.

There are no immediate threats to Florida at this time

2021 vs. 2020 to date

The ACE, or Accumulated Cyclone Energy, a metric to measure the intensity of storms and the overall season, sits at 45.7 to date. That is slightly ahead of 2020′s ACE, which was 44.7 at this point, even though 2020 had more named storms to date. That means, to date, the storms of this season have been more intense than the storms of last season.

The average ACE to date is 34.5.

Last season, the “O” storm had already developed. This season, through Sep. 2, we have “only” made it to the “L” storm, which is still much faster than normal. This season, however, has already seen five hurricanes, with two of those reaching major hurricane status. Larry is also expected to reach major hurricane status in the coming days.

2021 season

Last season, there were three hurricanes to this point, with one, Laura, becoming a major hurricane.

ACE helps to put seasons in perspective much more accurately than just the number of storms in a season.


About the Author
Jonathan Kegges headshot

Jonathan Kegges joined the News 6 team in June 2019 and now covers weather on TV and all digital platforms.

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