Tropical Depressions, Tropical Storms, and Hurricanes all have different characteristics that are compared and contrasted in this video
The Atlantic hurricane season officially kicks off June 1, and early forecasts are showing there might be some tropical activity brewing for the early days of the season.
Historically, the first weeks of hurricane season in the Atlantic don’t show a ton of activity, with the first named storm climatologically not forming until June 20, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Additionally, forecasts are calling for an El Niño year, which typically suppresses development in the Atlantic.
(FOX Weather)
This doesn’t make tropical activity impossible, as the FOX Forecast Center is watching for potential tropical activity within the first two weeks of June in the Atlantic off the Southeastern coast.
As the calendar switches to June, tropical moisture will settle over the Gulf and Caribbean, stopped from moving north by a strong area of high pressure hanging over the U.S.
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The FOX Forecast Center said with the moisture in place and the high pressure, all that’s needed for tropical activity is a trigger.
And it’s looking like that trigger comes in the form of a stalled front, which is forecast to settle over the region, sparking widespread thunderstorms and heavy rain.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 10: A rain squall passes over the skyline on April 10, 2023 in Miami, Florida.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
These storms could cause an area of low pressure to develop, and possibly take on enough characteristics to become a tropical depression or named tropical storm.
A tropical depression is a tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained winds below 39 mph. Once a tropical depression forms, the National Hurricane Center gives it a number based on its order of formation in the hurricane season.
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The first named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season would be given the name Arthur.
2026 Atlantic storm names for hurricane season.
(FOX Weather)
The FOX Forecast Center stressed that it remains very uncertain if anything will form, but if it does, strong wind shear will keep things messy and disorganized, meaning heavy rain will be the largest threat.
Current long-range forecasts suggest that the Atlantic off the Southeast U.S. is slightly more likely to be favorable for tropical development than the Gulf at this point.
Rain is going to happen whether something tropical forms or not, and it is much needed for the Southeast, which is experiencing one of the worst droughts on record.
FOX Weather will keep you updated with the latest forecasts as things become more clear.
