After a slow but deadly start to hurricane season, the Atlantic Ocean is turning more active as the typical peak of activity approaches in September.

The season started with tropical storms Andrea, Barry and Chantal from June into July. The remnants of Barry contributed to a flooding disaster in Texas, while Chantal brought destructive impacts to North Carolina — storms linked by record amounts of moisture pulsing above the United States.

Then, earlier this week, Tropical Storm Dexter formed between North Carolina and Bermuda before tracking out to sea — a storm that may be a sign of things to come. Still, no storm has yet strengthened into a hurricane.

Now, a marine heat wave — or a long-lasting, expansive area of warmer-than-average seas — has developed in the western Atlantic and Gul

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