Henri forms in midst of slow hurricane season

If you’ve wondered where all the tropical weather went this year, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Wamsley sums it up: “It has been a slower season.”

“We over-predicted what has occurred,” he added.

As the tropical storm season in the Atlantic passes its peak – and draws to its Nov. 30 close – storm watchers have logged eight named storms. Last year there were 16.

But it’s not over yet. The eighth storm, Tropical Storm Henri, was taking shape Tuesday east of the Leeward Islands. Forecasters expect it to be short-lived.

El Niño, which influences weather and ocean conditions, arrived in July and helped suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic by increasing vertical wind shear. Wamsley said upper-level winds also have been moving in a way that pushes apart storms before they can form.

“The pattern has not been there this year,” he said.

In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted nine to 14 named tropical storms, with four to seven of them hurricanes. One to three of those were likely to be major storms.

So far, the Atlantic basin has given rise to eight named tropical storms this season, two of them hurricanes: Bill and Fred.

Fred fizzled in the mid-Atlantic in mid-September.

Hurricane Bill was a Category 3 hurricane but stayed about 450 miles offshore when it moved past the Outer Banks and Hampton Roads in late August. Bill gave surfers a ride but caused no major damage.