The eighth named storm of the Atlantic basin hurricane season has formed, but similar to its counterparts, it will remain short-lived and inconsequential in the open ocean.
The National Hurricane Center last reported Tropical Storm Hanna had sustained wind speeds of 45 mph and was expected to max out during the next 72 hours.
Forecast models show significant westerly wind shear is expected to keep the system in check during its lifespan, as the storm generally works eastward and away from Bermuda.
Without a hurricane to track through at least the first week or two of October, the tropical weather season continues to flirt with record lows.
The year is the first in modern history to not have had a cyclone with winds of at least 74 mph.
The only other two seasons not to have had a hurricane occurred in 1914 and 1907 - years that took place before satellites monitored the skies.
In terms of accumulated cyclone energy, or what is commonly referred to as ACE, the season has racked up just 9.9 units of energy - small enough to set another modern record.
ACE is a metric that measures the total energy produced by tropical cyclones over their lifetimes by accounting for both intensity and duration.
Long-lived hurricanes produce far more ACE than weaker storms that dissipate quickly.
With Hanna expected to remain weak, the storm will not dramatically change the current year’s ACE standing.
The next named storm in the Atlantic basin will be Isaias, but computer forecast models do not show a significant tropical cyclone developing in the Gulf, Caribbean or Atlantic during at least the next 10 days.
The name "Isaias" likely brings up memories from 2020, when the tropical cyclone impacted much of the U.S. East Coast.
According to NOAA, 17 deaths were attributed to the hurricane, with damage estimates that topped $5 billion.
Despite the widespread damage, "Isaias" was not retired following the 2020 hurricane season.
The World Meteorological Organization Hurricane Committee did not vote to retire the name, which could have been influenced by other significant storms that occurred during the record-breaking season.
Tropical cyclone names are retired when the WMO determines that a storm's impacts were significant enough that reusing the name would be insensitive.
Names are repeated every six years unless they are retired from six rotating lists.
