JACKSONVILLE, Fla – Three hurricanes are lining up in the Atlantic as if in cue marked by the calendar. Sept. 10 is the peak of the hurricane season in the Atlantic and the time when the strongest hurricane develop.
Of the five hurricanes and two tropical storms spinning in the Atlantic and Pacific right now, Category 4 Hurricane Florence is the most powerful.
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There have been many years when multiple tropical cyclones develop in succession like a tropical Congo line dancing across the Atlantic Ocean.
The September timing is simple...water temperatures have warmed above 80 degrees across the main development areas between Africa and the Lesser Antilles.
Warm water is the key ingredient for hurricane formation with the increase in frequency and intensity coinciding with the warmup into mid-August and September.
Major hurricanes with winds over 115 mph occur 96% of the time between the middle of August and into the second week in October.
By the end of October, increasing upper-level winds lowers hurricane potential along with the chilling effect of cooler water.