Rare storm may form in the Atlantic Ocean in December
An unusual disturbance is brewing in the Atlantic Ocean and could result in the first subtropical December storm since 2013.
A special tropical weather outlook was issued on Wednesday over the potential for a subtropical development in the central Atlantic by the National Weather Service (NWS).
A large area of low pressure producing showers and thunderstorms had formed about 900 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands but poses no threat to land.
“Environmental conditions appear marginally conducive for development and a subtropical or tropical storm could form in the day or two,” NWS reported.
The disturbance has a 40 per cent chance of becoming a subtropical storm in the next 48 hours, and a 50 per cent chance in the next five days. If it does so, it will be named Storm Owen.
Atlantic hurricane season officially ended on 30th November making the subtropical development a rare occurence. Only 11 named storms have occurred in the Atlantic in the past 70 years.
The late season Hurricane Nicole battered the east coast of Florida with strong winds, dangerous storm surge and heavy rain in mid-November.
The hurricane saw airports and theme parks shuttered in the sunshine state and led to evacuation orders for residents including at former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
For storm-weary Floridians, it was only the third November hurricane to hit their shores since recordkeeping began in 1853. The previous ones were the 1935 Yankee Hurricane and Hurricane Kate in 1985.
In September, Florida was devastated by the near-category 5 Hurricane Ian which killed more than 100 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Hurricane Ian was one of the strongest in Florida’s history, slamming into state with 155mph winds, heavy rain, and a powerful storm surge which overwhelmed communities. The hurricane then ploughed across the state, dropping several feet of rain in cities hundreds of miles inland.
The climate crisis does not necessarily mean more hurricanes in the future – but planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions, largely caused by burning fossil fuels, are super-charging storms making it more common for them to rapidly-intensify and hold more water.
AP contributed to this report
