6/23/12 Tropics: Tropical Storm Debby Forms

5:00 PM Tropics Update: Debby Forms

Invest 96L in the Gulf of Mexico continued to become somewhat better organized, and as of 5 PM is now listed as Tropical Storm Debby, the 4th named storm of the year's Atlantic hurricane season. The remarkably odd season continues once again as according to the National Hurricane Center, Debby sets the record for the earliest Atlantic 4th named storm in recorded history, surpassing Hurricane Dennis of 2005 by nearly 2 weeks. General Atlantic conditions, including a developing El Nino, are pointing to more of an average season, and an early start to a hurricane season does not guarantee that the rest of the season will be active as well, although the possibility is there that the season may end up somewhat more active than currently expected. More information on this will be posted with the updated hurricane season outlook, which if current trends continue may be completed earlier than August 1st, the date I am currently planning on posting the outlook.

More information on the tropics can be found in the Tropics page, which will be updated this evening with more information about Debby. The 5-Day Forecast is currently in the process of being updated.