We are twelve days into the 2006 Hurricane Season, and we’ve already got our first named Tropical Storm
TAMPA, Fla. — Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, developed Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico and appeared likely to soak parts of Florida and Cuba with heavy rain, forecasters said.
By midday, the storm had maximum sustained wind near 45 mph, up 10 mph from early in the morning, but it was not likely to grow into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.
“The satellite presentation of the storm is not very impressive, so not much additional strengthening is anticipated,” said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch.
Hurricane or not, though, it could still be a problem:
Forecasters said that 30 inches of rain could fall over the western half of Cuba, creating a threat of flash floods and mudslides, and that 8 inches could fall over the Florida Keys and the state’s Gulf Coast.
If you’re keeping track, we are actually behind last years pace:
Last year’s hurricane season was the most destructive on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1,570 deaths among Louisiana residents alone.
It also was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a records 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes. Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names _ beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma _ and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.
This year, however, meteorologists have said the Atlantic is not as warm as it was at this time in 2005, meaning potential storms would have less of the energy needed to develop into hurricanes.
Last year’s first named storm was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed June 9 and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.
More coverage, of course, at Brendan Loy’s blog
