A month-and-a-half into hurricane season, and nary a named storm. Is it a good omen for the season that we haven't see a single development in the Atlantic basin?
State Climatologist Barry Keim says no. He says since hurricane records started being kept in Louisiana in 1851, no season has passed without at least one system popping up.
Keim says we've seen named storms form in June fairly steadily over the past several years. "For eight of the last ten years we've had a named storm by the second week of June. So, I think that is part of what is fueling this perception that it's a very quiet season," Keim told WWL First News.
He adds, however that's not the norm. "The average date for the first storm is July third," Keim said. "The first storm has occurred as early as the second of February and has occurred as late as mid September."
Keim reminds us all it takes is one hurricane to make it a bad season. 1992's Hurricane Andrew (above) was the first storm of that year. It didn't hit Louisiana until August 28th.
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