We know that the areas of possible formation shift as hurricane season progresses. While the beginning and end of the season tend to have formation closer to home, it is during the peak of the season that we shift our eyes farther east, to Africa. But why? What makes the continent produce these tropical start-ups?

To put it in basic terms, it is all about the water cycle. The rain falls, moistens the jungle, the heat creates more water vapor, and more storms are created. The winds carry these clusters of storms out of Africa over the Atlantic to the west and it is here that they can form as tropical cyclones eventually threatening countries.

Tropical waves are highly dependent on the African monsoon. The more rainfall in these areas, the more likely it is that there will be more waves leaving the continent.

Between August and September, the wind shear or the changing winds with height, also tend to relax. With little shear, tropical waves can continue their natural cycle and strengthen.

Of course, wind shear doesn't always relax completely because it depends on other atmospheric patterns like the El Niño Southern Oscillation. But, if La Niña is present, we can guarantee that there is a greater probability that more systems will form because the winds are calmer than usual.

Finally, there is the fuel to tropical systems - the sea surface temperatures. We have reached the end of summer and there has been lots of heat collected on the sea surface. So, there is all this fuel just sitting there waiting to feed a system.

The next time you see waves coming from far, far away, know that there are many ingredients that come together to prepare the perfect 'recipe.' We always hope it's not perfect. The advantage will always be that we have time to watch them and prepare in advance.