The Atlantic Looks Likely to Stay Quiet While We Look Back at the Incredible Hurricane Season 100 Years Ago

TODAY IN THE TROPICS

A plume of Saharan dust is controlling the tropical Atlantic from Africa to the islands. Meanwhile, El Niño-driven hostile upper-level winds cover the Caribbean. Tropical disturbances are moving off Africa on schedule, but they can't develop without any conducive atmosphere in their path. The cooler-than-normal ocean waters are also a big negative factor.

Long-range computer models continue to show an empty slate well into August.

This season seems to be off to a freakishly slow start, but El Niño years often kick in late. Fewer storms normally end up forming, but it's still hurricane season and stuff can happen.

Famously, in 1983, the first named storm was Alicia, which was designated a tropical storm the afternoon of August 15. Hurricane Alicia made landfall on Galveston Island, Texas as a Category 3 just two and a half days later. Downtown Houston took a hard hit.

Enjoy the pause for now.

100 YEARS AGO TODAY

Word was just reaching American newspapers from Nassau in the Bahamas of the tremendous damage suffered there three days before. Radio communications were still down, but reporters reached the island by plane from Miami. Devastation was widespread and numerous ships were lost at sea.

In the U.S., the east coast of Florida from Miami to Jacksonville and north to Charleston, South Carolina, was impacted by the storm. Storm surge flooded the islands along the Georgia coast. Water pushed into downtown Savannah.

The system was over south Georgia and had weakened significantly. It would rain itself out over Georgia and Alabama.

After that July hurricane, which came to be known as the Nassau Hurricane, the tropics went quiet. But not for long.

IN THE PACIFIC

Fausto is now a tropical depression and is weakening fast as it tracks well north of Hawaii. No significant impacts on the islands beyond extremely high surf and powerful waves are expected.

To the east, Hurricane Genevieve is also slowly weakening as it heads toward cooler water. It will wind down in the open ocean.

The marine heat wave that includes the superheated El Niño waters will provide extra energy for storms in the Eastern and Central Pacific this hurricane season. It's especially important that residents of Hawaii have thought out their hurricane plan. The odds are never high that Hawaii is going to get hit, but the chances are higher than normal this year.