Tropical development does not just begin on June 1

Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, but as we know, weather does not operate on a calendar.

Since 2015, we’ve had at least one named storm form before the season even began.

In 2021, Ana became a tropical storm in May. The storm developed near Bermuda on May 22, but lost its tropical storm characteristics a day later as it stayed out at sea.

In 2020, there were three named storms before the season officially began.

In general, these storms have a tendency to be weaker and short-lived due to unfavorable wind environments and ocean waters that are still relatively cool.

Storms that form before June 1 also tend to develop a little closer to the U.S.

Storms that form in May usually come along a decaying cold front off the coast of the U.S. These systems can generate just enough energy over the ocean waters to take on tropical or subtropical storm characteristics.

We typically don’t look at the central and eastern Atlantic for tropical development until August and September.

This is when the trade winds across the Atlantic Ocean are the weakest and ocean temperatures are the warmest, providing a favorable environment for tropical cyclones to develop.

That is why we see stronger tropical storms or hurricanes develop during the late summer and early fall.

Provided we don’t get a named storm before June 1 this year, it will be the first time since 2014.

Yet, it is important to note that while hurricane season doesn’t begin until June, tropical weather outlooks will be issued daily beginning May 15.

As always, it’s best to be prepared and have a plan in place well before any hurricane or tropical storm threatens your area.