HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- It's hurricane season in the Atlantic, and WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Chief Meteorologist Tony Cavalier updates a stormy week. He also adds an ominous long-range tropical forecast.

The surf was up on the Carolina beaches from Hilton Head to Nags Head last weekend as Tropical Storm Cristobal formed just 100 miles off the coast. A weakling storm by tropical standards, Cris managed to give wind surfers a rowdy ride on a choppy Atlantic while closing some beaches to bathers.

While some vacationers fled the coastal rains, others waited out the gusty squalls and were treated to a hazy beachfront walk. At the same time in Cancun, Mexico, beach bums stayed off the pearly sands and aqua waters of the Caribbean as the seas rose in an angry churn. Soon, partygoers in Cancun said hello to Dolly as they played a game of cab tag to dodge the sudden downpours from Tropical Storm Dolly.

Once Dolly fled for the open Gulf, she turned into a full-fledged hurricane. Word of the approaching tempest scared oil companies for a day or two and sent storm preparations on the mainland into motion.

On Wednesday, Dolly slowed her approach to South Texas and intensified. She then swept ashore at spring break hotspot Padre Isle with howling gales, torrential rains and pounding surf.

Now, the Atlantic has quieted down -- good news for Myrtle Beach vacationers next week. But an ominous sign: the tropical trade winds are pointed from Africa to the Caribbean. As a result, a hurricane threat for the Gulf could occur in the first two weeks of August, with rains possible under that scenario in the Appalachian Mountains.