ORLANDO, Fla – To quote News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells, "It's August. The most active part of the hurricane season begins."
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Tropical activity sharply increases as August begins through September. The reasons? Ocean temperatures are warmer for one, but thunderstorm activity also increases over Africa.
As the difference in temperature between land and sea increases, wind speeds in the atmosphere increase. As a result, thunderstorms become more numerous over the African plateau and move over the Atlantic. Depending on the steering currents and other environmental conditions, these storms could become hurricanes and impact the U.S.
The second half of hurricane season, later in August through September, is known as the Cabo Verde season. Cabo Verde is the archipelago west of Africa where the storms tend to develop and make their long trek across the Atlantic. Andrew, Ivan, Irma and Maria are a few notable Cabo Verde storms.