On Monday May 20th, a low pressure system south of Bermuda was officially recognized as Subtropical Storm Andrea, the first of the 2019 hurricane season; 11 days before the official beginning of the season.
This makes 2019 the fifth consecutive year that a named storm has formed before the official start of Atlantic hurricane season, which is June 1.
Andrea has a very brief window of time to exist before being absorbed by an approaching cold front. Increasing wind shear — which is disruptive to the storm’s circulation — nearby dry air and low ocean temperatures will combine to dissipate this storm within a couple of days.
In fact, on Wednesday May 22nd, around 11:00 AM local time, Andrea has been downgraded to a subtropical depression and the National Hurricane Center writes in its 11 a.m. advisory that it is expected to dissipate soon.
This way, Andrea, which formed on May 20, becomes the sixth preseason storm to develop in the past 10 years. It follows Alberto in 2012 (May 19), Beryl in 2012 (May 25), Ana in 2015 (May 8), Bonnie in 2016 (May 28), Arlene in 2017 (April 20) and Alberto in 2018 (May 26).
This list does not include Alex, which formed on Jan. 16, 2016. While falling in the 2016 calendar year, Alex was meteorologically a remnant of the 2015 season. But if you wish to include it in your list, then we’ve had seven preseason storms in the past decade.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom with information from TWP Weather
