At a Glance

Many first hurricanes of the Atlantic seasons from 1950 to 2018 have formed close to the U.S.The majority of the first hurricanes of the season form after Aug. 1.

The first of any season is something to make note ofand the first hurricane of the Atlantic season is no exception.

We've taken a look atwhere and when the first hurricane of eachAtlantic hurricane season developed from 1950-2018, based on data from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), and noticed a couple of trends. Many first hurricanes in the Atlantic form close to the U.S., impact land and develop in mid-to-late August.

The map below shows where each storm was first designated a hurricane by the NHC.

Each dot represents where each first Atlantic hurricane of the season became a hurricane.

There are a few clusters, including one in the (MDR), off the west coast of Africa into part of the Caribbean. Activity here is usually greatest from August into September. was the first hurricane of the season when it formed in early July 2018 and it formed in this region, although a bit farther south than most Atlantic hurricanes.

Two other areas common for development early in the season are closer to the U.S. –in the western Gulf of Mexico and off the Southeast coast. This includes Hurricane Franklin in August 2017 which became a hurricane in the Bay of Campeche before making landfall in Mexico.

In June, some of the activity in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Southeast coast comes from . In July, cold fronts become much less frequent but thunderstorm complexes rolling off the Southeast coast can linger and lead to tropical cyclone formation.

As hurricane season progresses, start coming off the coast of Africa.

(MORE: Top Five Most Intense U.S. Hurricanes)

Interestingly, a majority of the first hurricanes of the season impacted land, partially due to close formation to land. In 1966, Hurricane Alma became the earliest hurricane to strike the continental U.S. since 1825 when it made landfall in Florida on June 9 asthe equivalent of a hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Another interesting first hurricane is ,which made landfall in Florida and again in New York and caused extensive flooding,100 deaths and more than $2 billion in damage.

Hurricane Allen in 1980 was a classic and reached Category 5 strength, but it weakened somebefore making landfall near the Texas-Mexico border.

Depiction of when each first Atlantic hurricane of the season became a hurricane.

As thegraph above shows, the most common time period for hurricane development is Aug. 16-31, followed by Aug. 1-15. This is not that surprising given that tropical activity typically heats up in the second half of August.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially last June 1-Nov. 30, but tropical cyclones do occur outside of these months. Three of the firsthurricanes of the season formed beforeJune 1, includingHurricane Alex in 2016, which formed south of the central Azores;Hurricane Alma in 1970, which developed north of Panama; and, Hurricane Able in 1951, which strengthened into a hurricane off the coast of Florida.

The latest first hurricane of the season from 1950 to2018 did not occur untilSept. 11 in 2013 (Humberto) and in 2002 (Gustav).