July’s Quiet Before Hurricane Surge | Jacksonville News

July kicks off the more active part of hurricane season, even if it’s usually quiet — warmer waters and shifting atmospheric conditions set the stage for storms later. Forecasters are watching a low-probability area off the Southeast coast, where any storm would likely move slowly. Historically, only about 27 tropical storms or hurricanes have hit Florida in July — roughly once every seven years — and that number drops even further during El Niño years like this one. The last major July storm was Tropical Storm Elsa in 2021, which slammed the Big Bend with heavy rain, surge, and tornadoes, causing over $700 million in damage. Before that, Hurricane Dennis in 2005 hit the Panhandle as a powerful hurricane. So far this season, only Tropical Storm Arthur — a brief rainmaker in June — has formed. The next named storm, Bertha, isn’t expected soon, as the average second storm doesn’t arrive until July 17th, and the first hurricane usually doesn’t show up until August. July’s generally calm — a rare breather — but stay alert: the odds of a major storm are still low, though not zero. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/0c35d571b92863a7