Tropical Storm Edouard is now the earliest fifth named storm on record, say scientists
After an active start to the hurricane season, the tropics saw a period of lull caused by the Saharan dust, which worked actively to suppress tropical cyclone development. However, things have started heating up again in the tropics with Tropical Storm Edouard, which formed in the Atlantic Ocean on July 5 evening. Edouard is the earliest fifth Atlantic named storm on record, according to Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University, who specializes in Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts.
"Edouard has formed in the far North Atlantic — the earliest 5th Atlantic named storm on record. The previous record was Emily in 2005 on July 12. Dennis and Emily in 2005 were extremely powerful hurricanes — Dennis was a Category 4 and Emily was a Category 5. All of the Atlantic storms so far in 2020 have been relatively weak and short-lived," tweeted Klotzbach.
Tropical Depression Five formed in the western Atlantic late on July 4 morning. On July 5 morning, it passed 70 miles north of Bermuda, bringing rain and gusty winds to the region. The storm had top sustained winds of 40 mph, making it a low-end tropical storm. As of July 5 evening, it was located at over 600 miles south-southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, off Canada, said the US National Hurricane Center. It was moving to the northeast at 35 mph and was expected to become a post-tropical storm on July 6. "Edouard forms over the far North Atlantic, expected to become post-tropical on Monday," said the National Hurricane Center.
According to AccuWeather, Edouard is the earliest fifth named storm on record since the satellite era of the 1960s and 1970s. "The storm that would become Edouard, Tropical Depression Five, formed a few hundred miles southwest of Bermuda at midday Saturday. Tropical Depression 5 passed to the north and west of Bermuda early Sunday morning, before strengthening into Tropical Storm Edouard Sunday evening. Rain and wind have died down across Bermuda as Edouard is now well to the northeast of the islands," reports AccuWeather.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller explains that the system will move over colder ocean waters overnight on July 5, allowing the storm to lose its tropical characteristics. "The feature is not a threat to the US and Canada as steering winds are taking the feature away from North America," says Miller.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that there is a 60% chance of an above-normal hurricane season this year. The above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected because of several climate factors and warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures, according to forecasters with the NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.