South Florida residents breathed a sigh of relief this weekend as the National Hurricane Center consistently forecast Tropical Storm Maria to stay away from us. Maria has weakened a little this morning and is currently centered about 175 miles north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and forecast to eventually get closer to Bermuda than South Florida. Now we wonder where the next tropical storm will form.

The above graphic shows where all the tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic Basin during the month of September from 1851 through 2010. A lot of them formed in the deep tropics between Africa and the Caribbean similar to Tropical Storm Maria. A couple of the most memorable September hurricanes to strike South Florida include the costliest United States hurricane on record after adjusting for inflation, population and wealth -- the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926; and the second-deadliest United States hurricane on record -- the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928. Both the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes formed in the deep tropical Atlantic.

But the formation point graphic shows many storms forming elsewhere over the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico as well as a fair number over the Caribbean. No one can tell you at the moment where the next storm will form, but it is a sure bet that Ophelia and others are sure to come. We are still in the peak of the hurricane season.