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Deonte Williams

As October begins, hurricane season continues to be one of the most active in recent years. There are only 3 names left on the 2023 hurricane name list before the second list is activated. This backup list will resemble hurricane name lists of the past by being ordered using the Greek alphabet and reusing names from past years. 

There are already two named storm systems this month, Lidia and Max. Both are in the West of Mexico. Tropical Storm Lidia is in the west of Mexico and is forecast to develop into a hurricane Wednesday before making landfall and becoming a tropical depression heading for the Gulf of Mexico. This will increase moisture in the area, starting a hotspot for more possible systems to develop.

Air pollution from the unprecedented wildfires across the globe has surprisingly contributed to this year’s hurricane season. The resulting dry air continues to affect storm system developments in the Northern hemisphere but has allowed for more north-turning storms. Such as the first hurricane to form, which took place in May and was never officially named. 

While July gave everyone a break, with Don being the only named storm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had to increase the list of names for hurricanes and tropical storms. This was greatly due to the unprecedented El Nino (higher than average waters along the equator.) 

During August, which was the second highest active season thus far, with six named storms (Emily through Jose) followed by September with seven named storms (Katia through Rina.) The activity during these months has been a shadow of what the remainder of the 2023 hurricane season has in store.