The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has been intense, marked by multiple powerful storms hitting the U.S. coast. The season runs from June 1 to November 30, with conditions like warm ocean temperatures and low wind shear fostering storm development. "Storms can intensify fast if they encounter the right conditions and that could happen at any time," says Annalisa Bracco, associate chair and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. "But we are later in the season, and that means that favorable conditions for fast intensification are less likely than when Milton happened. Wind shear tends to be stronger — on average — at the end of October compared to early September, and sea surface temperatures are on average cooler than in August-September."