Atlantic hurricane season is about to hit its stride. August through mid-September is historically the most active stretch of the season, and while there have been a handful of short-lived named storms,

Peak hurricane season hits around Sept. 10, but historically, tropical activity starts to dramatically ramp up as soon as the calendar hits August. About 78% of tropical storms form between August and October, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Weather Channel.

August is when meteorologists notice a big jump in tropical cyclone formations. The graph below shows the spike of both tropical storms, which are cyclones with winds 39 mph or greater. The graph also shows a steady increase in hurricanes and major hurricanes until early September.