Could Tropical Storm Owen form in Atlantic so late in the year? What the forecast says
.png "A subtropical or tropical storm could form in the Atlantic soon.")
A rare December disturbance in the Atlantic might turn into a subtropical or tropical storm this week, forecasters said.
The system, described as a large area of low pressure, was pumping out showers and thunderstorms Wednesday night over the central subtropical Atlantic, about 950 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters say the system, which is slightly more organized, is in conditions that are “marginally conducive for development,” enough for it to turn into a subtropical or tropical storm within the next day or so. The hurricane center is giving it a medium 40% chance of formation in the next two to five days, down from 50% on Wednesday morning.
It’s not a threat to Florida or the rest of the United States, and is forecast to stay in the Atlantic’s open waters.
“By Friday, the low will move northeastward over cooler waters and interact with a mid-latitude trough, limiting the chance for additional subtropical or tropical development of the system,” the hurricane center said.
If the system does turn into a storm, it would be named Owen and become the 15th named storm of 2022. Owen would also be the 11th named storm to form in December since 1950, according to Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University.
While hurricane season officially ended on Nov. 30, storms can form at any time, although it’s not as common.
The most recent December tropical cyclone formation was in 2013. However, it was an “Unnamed” named storm because it was identified in post-season analysis, Klotzbach said.
Miami Herald staff writers Devoun Cetoute and Omar Rodriguez Ortiz contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 9:50 AM.
