Crazy watching these powerful waves just evaporate over the MDR on modeling in peak season. Ensemble support had definitely increased and (we are in peak season now) the threat level is higher than it was a couple weeks ago but a couple of limiting factors remain:
1) SAL - this *should* follow climo and become less of a factor over the next few weeks but it is a dessert across most of the Atlantic
2) East coast trough - this has been mentioned on here but a few thoughts: with a persistent trough over the east coast we are seeing more intrusions of continental dry air into the GOM, a TUTT over the western Atlantic, and a natural barrier to storms forming east favoring recurves. With the trough in place and the possibility more fronts make it to the gulf or SE coast to rot, that could be a focal point for development at some point but currently there is too much shear for that to happen.
3) subsidence off the African coast - this is something to watch and we saw this a lot last august, but these massive waves seem to blow up over the continent and die over water. I can’t blame SAL for this entirely. It seems the current pattern has created an area of subsidence near the CV islands. Perhaps it’s the wave interaction with the strong monsoon trough but it’s been a wave killer for MDR storms two years in a row. That’s something I’d like to see examined as a case study for impacts to East Atlantic waves stemming from a long period La Niña
4) hostile Caribbean - very normal for early season but should be transitioning to a more favorable environment by now. This is where El Niño impacts will be seen the strongest. While current shear conditions across the area are not necessarily related to an El Niño pattern, will there be a period when it becomes favorable before the shear due to ENSO arrives? An active E PAC usually shuts down the Caribbean and brings me to me last observation…
5) Active E PAC - we all know an active E PAC does not favor development in the western Atlantic. With the E PAC season ramping up, does that further punt the start of the western Atlantic/GOM/Caribbean season?