"Cape Verde" Season

"This is the time of year when people should keep their eye on the forecast in the tropics," according to National Hurricane Center forecaster Hugh Cobb. "We are entering the Cape Verde season."

Graham Brink of the St. Petersburg Times adds:

Late August and early September are historically the most active for tropical storms and hurricanes.

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On average, about 60 waves generate over North Africa each year, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The waves spawn about 60 percent of tropical storms and minor hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Basin - the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Nearly 85 percent of major hurricanes originate from the waves.

Currently, the National Hurricane Center is keeping one eye on the remnants of former Tropical Depression 10, which may be re-strengthening along the Cuban coast, and the other eye on a strong tropical wave in the far eastern Atlantic.