First Tropical Weather Activity Spotted in the Atlantic Basin

The first update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) was issued earlier this week, serving as a reminder that the tropical weather season is right around the corner. Here is what the NHC is watching and what you can expect in the tropics in the months to come.

National Hurricane Center Releases First Tropical Weather Outlook

The NHC issued the first tropical weather outlook of the year on Monday, noting an area of low pressure that was spinning in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. While this system is not expected to develop into anything threatening, its presence sends the signal that the hurricane season could spring to life well before the official start date of June 1.

This area of low pressure was assigned just a 10% chance of evolving into a named feature when it was first noted. This percentage dropped further on Tuesday as the system encountered dry air as well as wind shear in the upper levels of the atmosphere. Both of these elements tend to break apart budding tropical events.

Although this system is not going to amount to anything of note, it is meaningful that the NHC issued its first outlook of the season as early as the middle of March. The outlooks are typically issued four times per day between May 15 and November 30, coinciding with the meat of the Atlantic hurricane season. The updates are issued in an effort to highlight potential areas of tropical development.