Saharan dust has continued to suppress tropical activity. That trend will likely stay alive for a few more days as a new dust plume stretches across the tropical Atlantic.

Large plumes of dust can dry out the atmosphere and make it difficult for any tropical systems to organize. That dust can also block some sunlight from reaching the water below, which can slightly drop sea surface temperatures.

Regardless, our current water temperatures are still higher than we typically see this time of the year.

No new named storms are expected to form over the next week. “Debby” will be the next name used if a tropical storm or hurricane forms.

While it can be easy during this break to take your focus off the tropics, it’s still important to remain informed and prepared. We likely have around 95% of hurricane season activity ahead of us.