AccuWeather's Bree Guy breaks down the conditions that have prevented tropical storms from forming in the Atlantic so far this year.
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00:00 Let's take you on a cruise to Nassau, Bahamas, at least in virtual form.
00:04 Yes, another place where it is a little toasty, this in a different way. Not, certainly not the dry
00:12 sweltering heat, but Nassau, you're not looking too bad right now. You have those beautiful blue skies,
00:18 just a few clouds in sight, though
00:20 of course, you're no stranger to a tropical activity. And when we are now in Atlantic hurricane season, we have to track those
00:28 ingredients that kind of help ignite some of these storms. First, we've had a record of warm waters here across the basin, about two and a
00:36 half to four and a half degrees above the historical averages. Ocean heat already at mid-August levels here,
00:42 so that's one factor, a very important one, that we would need.
00:47 So typically, though, for early season development, though, we would of course need the warm water,
00:53 but we would need this jet stream to dip south. Now this North American pattern,
00:59 we've had that jet stream dip south a little bit back further west, across the west,
01:03 so we've had a heat dome across the central US.
01:06 It hasn't really allowed that jet stream to really dip in this region to interact with the tropics.
01:11 That's what typically produces those homegrown development storms, as we've had upper lows or fronts move in across the Gulf, and that just helps
01:19 ignite it. But like I said, there have been reasons with that North American weather pattern being number one, high wind shear also,
01:27 never good for a hurricane.
01:29 Wildfire smoke coming in from South America is also causing concerns,
01:34 and so we are tracking those conditions, and also through Mexico, features being monitored.
01:41 Right now, we do have a few tropical waves,
01:44 but it doesn't mean that the environment is conducive to a tropical development.
01:50 It's just really too early in the season. Again, we have that high wind shear, and they're just riding along that wave there.
01:57 Though we are tracking some tropical downpours next week, beneficial rain, though, across central and southern Florida,
02:04 certainly going to help when it comes to the drought.