The National Hurricane Center continued to track Tropical Storm Fernand in the central Atlantic on Monday, but the Gulf remained very quiet as the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season approaches. There were no storms expected to develop in the Gulf in at least the next seven days, according to hurricane center forecasts.

When hurricane season is in full swing, the news can be difficult to parse. What’s the difference between a hurricane and a tropical cyclone, after all, and what on Earth is an eye wall replacement cycle?