4Warn Weather – With June and the promise of warmer weather on the horizon, we’re already looking ahead to the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1.
But the National Hurricane Center says we’ve already seen a tropical system this year, back in January.
Throughout the year, meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center often look back and reassess weather systems within their jurisdictions, including the Atlantic basin. The organization announced Thursday that they discovered that an area of low pressure formed over the northern Atlantic ocean near the Northeastern U.S. in mid-January.
This was the actual first tropical system of the year/season, and it was classified as a subtropical storm.
Storms like this during the winter-months are somewhat uncommon, but since 1851, there have been six documented January storms in the Atlantic basin, including two hurricanes: Hurricane Alex in 2016, and Hurricane Alice in 1955. Hurricane Alice is the only known hurricane that spans two calendar years -- lasting from late December 1954 into January of 1955.
Winter subtropical systems are rare
With the winter’s lack of warmer water, which fuels these tropical systems, wintertime subtropical storms like this a rarity. The storm in January 2023 was able to maintain its connection to the warm Gulf Stream waters, and therefore able to maintain its core and structure.
More specific information on the January storm will be available in the next few months, according to the National Hurricane Center. That update should include the history of it, the storm’s strength, and more.
The next system or storm to develop will be the second system of the year, and will either be called Tropical Depression Two or Subtropical Depression Two, depending on what develops.
The storm name is determined by meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center -- and, if it does get a name, it would be Arlene.
So, while we have officially seen the first tropical system of the year, we have not broken into the list of names that we normally use for tropical systems just yet.
“National Weather Service policy ... allows for marginal subtropical systems to be handled in real-time as non-tropical gale or storm events in NWS High Seas forecast products. This was the procedure followed for the unnamed subtropical storm in mid-January,” the National Hurricane Center said. “However, the lack of real-time issuance of advisories does not preclude NHC from designating these systems as subtropical cyclones in post-analysis if necessary.”
You can see a radar image of the Jan. 17 storm above.