Question

[wxcrazytwo]

Why does the Hurricane season start in June and not in late July or August. Almost every single post I have read has June as a slow or no canes for that month, and July and August heating up for them? Just curious..

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Because June has a storm on norm once every few years. But before then only has one(May) once every 10 years??? So when ever the period of time has a good chance of seeing development.

[gatorcane]

It's an interesting question that I have thought about before...hurricane season should start in mid June (June 15th). Sure we may have a tropical storm form before then from time to time but it's HURRICANE season not TROPICAL storm season. As far as June in general, hurricanes do form but usually after the 15th. Actually there have been 3 recorded major hurricanes that have hit the U.S. in June since 1900, 2 of them have hit Lousiana and 1 Texas.

[gatorcane]

This map from the NHC helps explain why June 1st was picked. Notice storms do form in May from time to time....

[Radar]

If my memory serves me correctly wasnt there a tropical storm ( or a depression) a few years ago in late May? Rarely, but occasionally we get a pretty early start to the season! Better to be prepared early!

[AussieMark]

always expect the unexpected.

In June 1957 Category 4 Hurricane Audrey slammed into western Louisiana.

also in 1972 Hurricane Agnes made landfall in Florida and caused devastating floods over much of the east coast.

[Anonymous]

If my memory serves me correctly wasnt there a tropical storm ( or a depression) a few years ago in late May? Rarely, but occasionally we get a pretty early start to the season! Better to be prepared early!

Yes and I have thought of asking a similar question though asking why doesnt the Atlantic start May 15 when the Epac starts as it never fails that at least a Special Tropical disturbance Statement is issued and this year was no different. And there is also seasons when storms develop in May--several have formed in june--and as the graphic illustrates the ramp upward in activity begins in june


Here is a sayying as I heard as to hurricanes as a kid

June--too soon
July --Standby
August--Lookout
September--You remember
October--Its All Over

Dunno why November wasnt there as that was the only month I got hit by a cane as a kid (Kate 1985) but ok lol

Edit--Note the number of named storms begin to ramp up in mid may--and then the number of Hurricanes begin to ramp up precisely on June 1st--but there isnt a tropical storm season and there is really no point in that as any tropical storm could strengthen into a hurricane---its just hurricane season. Also, it is safe to say that there will probably not be a named storm or hurricane in June as you would probably be right by statistics---there is even a pretty good chance that if you said there wont be anything form in July that you would still be right--June and July are for cold fronts that stall--or tropical waves that form close to home--But August and thereafter is always the most likely IMHO

[tropicana]

One of the quietest seasons was back in 1982, but sometimes statistics don't tell the whole story... the following is an exerpt taken from the Miami Herald:-
JUNE 3rd 1982

Throughout the early morning hours of Thursday (June 3rd 1982), the mass of rain squalls that became the first hurricane of 1982 gathered itself together and grew stronger. And stronger. And stronger.

No one was more surprised Thursday afternoon about the sudden appearance of HURRICANE ALBERTO than the staff of the state's Emergency Operating Center.
"We went from Condition 4 to Condition 2 - bam- just like that".
The hurricane season was just 3 days old.

Even the unflappable Neil Frank, director of the NHC, stated that the storm formed faster than expected. Conditions really weren't favorable for development, but nature doesn't always share her secrets with us.
In fact, it was only 2 days and 14 hours into the 1982 hurricane season when teletypes plugged into the NHC clattered out the first storm warnings for South Florida and the Keys.
That sent the state's emergency center, located in a small office building on a quiet Tallahassee sea side street, some 400 miles away, into high gear.

Alberto, which only the night before had been a disorganized unnamed mass of rain squalls off the western tip of Cuba, was a full blown hurricane headed for the SW coast of the Florida Peninsula.
Its overnight transformation took place under the noses of the people who keep constant watch over the hemisphere's tropical cyclones.
Most residents of South Florida had gone to bed Wednesday night (June 2) not even suspecting that a minimal, but well organized hurricane would be headed their way by afternoon Thursday.


ALBERTO had a short stay in the end, dwindling as quickly as it had appeared. It did cause at least 23 deaths in Cuba's western province.

-justin-