Where are the hurricanes this year?

In about a month, we will reach the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, but it's been remarkably quiet so far this season. So what's going on?

The water in the Atlantic has been cooler than normal throughout this hurricane season, and it's keeping the activity at a minimum. We are seeing warmer than normal waters farther north (near the US), so it's still very likely some kind of tropical development could take place in the coming months. However, the systems will likely have to form closer to the US (where the water is warmer)

The Pacific is just a freeway right now loaded with tropical systems. There are 5 areas to watch, with Hector leading the way. It's a major hurricane and should pass south of the Hawaiian islands early Wednesday afternoon. There will no doubt be some serious wave action along Hawaii's coast, but a direct hit isn't going to happen.

And then you have an area to watch that will likely become a tropical system soon, with John and Ileana following close behind. I don't think any of those systems will get drawn up into the flow across the US. Therefore, it's unlikely that we'll get any soaking rains as a result of the tropical weather happening in the Pacific. 

The model forecast below  for rain in the next 6 days, and it doesn't have much for Kansas. 


24 Hour Rainfall (ending at 7 a.m. this morning):
Topeka: 1.01"
Hays: 0.89"
KWCH Studio: 0.68"
Wichita (Eisenhower): 0.64"
Newton: 0.62"
Great Bend: 0.61"
Hutch: 0.60"
Elkhart: 0.60"
Emporia: 0.47"
Hill City: 0.41"
Pratt: 0.35"
Liberal: 0.30"
Salina: 0.28"
Winfield: 0.28"
Concordia: 0.10"
Dodge City: 0.04"