Jul 28 (Japan Times) - With the end of July drawing near, it is looking likely that not a single typhoon will form in the month. It would be the first typhoon-free July since the Meteorological Agency started taking records in 1951.
There have been fewer typhoons than normal this year, with this year's first occurring on May 12 in waters east of the Philippines and a second on June 12 in the South China Sea.
Although many parts of the northwestern Pacific and the South China Sea have had warmer surface temperatures, convective activities, which cause typhoons, have been lackluster this year, mainly due to a Pacific high-pressure system spreading in a southwestern direction, according to the agency.
The possibility cannot be ruled out, however, that a typhoon may form near the Philippines in the final few days of July, experts said.
A hurricane currently in the vicinity of Hawaii may turn into a typhoon if it travels west and crosses the international date line, they said.
The monthly number of typhoons in July averaged 3.6 in the 30 years through 2010. The average number of typhoons approaching Japan in the month stood at 2.1, and the number of those making landfall at 0.5.
