Atlantic Hurricane Season Picks Up After an Odd, Sleepy Start

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season has so far lagged behind long-term trends, generated oddities and left seasoned forecasters scratching their heads. But now it’s finally shaking off the doldrums and spinning up storms.

Tropical Storm Humberto formed Wednesday north of the Caribbean and will likely soon be joined by a second system to its west. In the meantime, Hurricane Gabrielle is barreling across the world’s second-largest ocean on a collision course with the Azores and possibly even Spain and Portugal, though as a hybrid storm.

Across the Atlantic, eight storms have been named this season; just two have reached hurricane status. Ten ...