There’s Action in the Tropics

Tropical Storm Cindy in the Gulf of Mexico (Source: NOAA)

The Atlantic Ocean has had three tropical storms so far this year: Tropical Storm’s Bret and Cindy both developed just this week.  Although June tends to be one of the quieter months of the six-month hurricane season, named storms do sometimes occur.  Over the last decade they have occurred fairly regularly.

At least one tropical storm has formed in the month of June in seven of the last 10 years.  To add to that, there has been a named tropical storm prior to the start of hurricane season (June 1) in half of the last 10 seasons.  Just last year, Hurricane Alex was an exceptionally rare January hurricane.  Tropical storms that develop early in the season tend to form in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea where sea surface temperatures are warmer and environmental conditions are generally more favorable. 

This week marks the 45^th anniversary of the remnants of Hurricane Agnes, which caused catastrophic flooding in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Agnes was the costliest tropical cyclone in U.S. history at the time.  The fact that Agnes at peak intensity was only a minimal hurricane illustrates that a tropical system doesn’t have to be intense to have significant impacts.  Also, Tropical Storm Allison, in June 2001, caused some of the worst flooding on record along parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast.  Allison remains the only tropical storm to have had its named retired.  

The new Tropical Storm, Cindy, will have similar impacts along the U.S. Gulf Coast where it’s bringing copious amounts of rainfall.  There will be widespread flooding from Texas to Georgia and northward where the remnants of Cindy track.  A common misconception is only people on or near the coast can feel the impact of a landfalling tropical system.  The truth is people living hundreds of miles inland often feel significant impacts from tropical systems.  For example, the remnants of Hurricane Floyd brought flooding rainfall to the DC Metro Area in 1999 after its landfall in North Carolina.

Experts expect the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season to be a near to slightly busier than average.  According to Dr. Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University, this hurricane season has gotten off to a fast start with 2017 being only the fifth season in the last 130 years to have at least three tropical storms by June 20.  The last hurricane to form in the Atlantic Ocean during the month of June was Hurricane Chris in 2012.  The strongest June hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean was Category 4 Hurricane Audrey in 1957.