>>leave the tropical updates to the Hurricane Center!!!!!!!!

That's real gutsy considering you didn't even own up to your own post. You must have known it sucked. I'd rather read Matthew's opinion 50 times than an ignorant comment like that. It's a tropical board, and people post what they see or think. That can't be such a foreign concept since you found your way to the thread. If you want the NHC's opinion, go read it over there, don't knock someone for posting what they think here. This site is for weather buffs, not for trolls or wimpy flamewars. Plus, you don't want a piece of me anyway.

As for as the El Nino, I think it is starting to come around, but outside of some above normal SST's off of the coast of Peru, there hasn't been much influence. The last SSTA map I saw was 6/18 and it had warmed up since early June relative to normal. I guess a new one came out today, but I haven't looked at it yet. I don't expect El Nino to be a major factor whether it peters out or grows a little stronger - say into a weak event. Many have suggested it might peak toward the end of the year which would only have the effect of warming my winter - a pleasant thought - or killing any late season activity in the western Atlantic or Gulf.

Steve