While the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins on June 1st, today historically marks the beginning of the most intense period of tropical activity.  This year appears to be no different.  Per Dr. Jeff Masters:

August 18 historically marks the point where Atlantic hurricane activity makes a major spike upwards (Figure 2.) On average, we can expect to see two named storms and one hurricane during the last half of August. The last half of August usually sees a moistening of the atmosphere off the coast of Africa, as the the African monsoon kicks into high gear. This year is no exception (Figure 3.) The dry Saharan Air Layer (SAL) has retreated to the north, leaving a moist atmosphere conducive for tropical cyclone development off the coast of Africa.

Keep your eye of Wunderground and Stormpulse to follow the latest…