Meteor showers like the Perseids often gradually increase in intensity and then peak, before rapidly falling off. In other words, the curve is not symmetrical, and now is the time to start looking.

The Southern Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids are not the best showers of the summer, but they reach their peak on the same night.

What makes the Perseids great is the quantity of meteors, their showy quality and the August summer nights when you can view them. But this year, there's a caveat.