Early Atlantic Disturbances Before Hurricane Season: Scientific Insights
The NHC tracking the first Atlantic disturbance of 2025 months before hurricane season shows that while early storms are rare, some tropical activity can occur in spring. Historical records indicate few storms have been documented prior to the official season, with March systems being particularly uncommon.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) began monitoring the first Atlantic disturbance of 2025 on Monday, well before the hurricane season starts on June 1. While it is uncommon to witness named storms this early, some tropical activity can occur in the Atlantic during spring, according to NHC meteorologist Robbie Berg.
In 2024, the NHC tracked its first disturbance on April 24, involving a low-pressure area near Cabo Verde that dissipated due to strong winds. The previous year, an area of low pressure formed off the Northeastern U.S. in January and was identified as the first subtropical storm of the season.
This year’s disturbance was characterized as a non-tropical cluster of showers roughly 700 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands. The NHC determined it would not evolve into a tropical storm and ceased tracking it by Tuesday morning. The chances for development were notably low, at just 10%.
Berg explained that weather systems fall along a spectrum from fully tropical (hurricanes) to non-tropical (winter storms). Occasionally, non-tropical systems in the Atlantic may begin to exhibit tropical characteristics, as was the case with this recent disturbance.
Since the inception of records in 1851, 41 tropical storms or hurricanes have been documented in the Atlantic between January and May before the official hurricane season. However, March systems remain “quite rare,” according to Phil Klotzbach from Colorado State University. He noted that the only March tropical cyclone recorded in the Atlantic was a Category 2 hurricane in 1908 that affected the Leeward Islands and the Caribbean.
The emergence of Atlantic disturbances before the hurricane season is unusual but not without precedent. The NHC tracks these phenomena whenever they arise, even outside the usual timeframe. While such early activity is infrequent, the potential exists for tropical characteristics to develop, albeit with a low likelihood. Historic data illustrates that early-season tropical systems are rare but noteworthy in meteorological records.
Original Source: www.nola.com
