Ana Becomes First Atlantic Tropical Storm in April

Reuters ^ | 04-22-03

[Brian S]

— MIAMI (Reuters) - Subtropical storm Ana strengthened and turned into a tropical storm on Tuesday as it churned through the north Atlantic Ocean southeast of Bermuda, a danger only to shipping, hurricane forecasters said.

Ana formed on Sunday as a subtropical storm, the earliest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season since 1978 and one of only two April storms in recorded history.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said it took on more tropical characteristics on Tuesday, with stronger winds and warmer temperatures near the center.

It became the only Atlantic tropical storm in April since record keeping began. The only other April storm, which occurred in 1992, was subtropical.

Subtropical storms are hybrids of tropical storms, which are cyclones that usually form in the summer, and wintertime cyclones. They can have characteristics of both.

The official six-month Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but storms can form in any month. April is the least likely month for storms.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Ana was about 460 miles east-southeast of Bermuda at latitude 29.8 north and longitude 57.5 west, forecasters said.

Its maximum sustained winds strengthened to 50 mph but it was not expected to get much stronger over the next day or so.

Ana was moving to the east at about 16 mph, forecasters said.

Tropical and subtropical storms are given names when top winds reach 39 mph. They become hurricanes when maximum winds hit 74 mph.

[NautiNurse]

Been following this storm for a couple of days now. Have a nagging feeling this will be a busy hurricane season.

At least I'll have a new roof...workers due here in the morning to tear down and install.

[KeyWest]

Ana formed on Sunday as a subtropical storm, the earliest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season since 1978 and one of only two April storms in recorded history.

Since recorded history goes back to well before 4000BC, that is amazing.

It would be more appropriate to say before satellite radar/image coverage of the Atlantic, which put it back to the late 60s early 70s, or last 30-40 years, a bit different than last 6000 years.

[dufekin]

"Recorded history" goes back only to 1851 for tropical storms. Still amazing.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Have a nagging feeling this will be a busy hurricane season.

This may be one of those summers I am thankful for having left the Gulf Coast.

[Brian S]

I'm displaced from the gulf coast LA/TX region and I'm not thankful for that. I miss it, even the 'storm watches'. :)

[trebb]

Well heck - hope they all miss S. Mississippi. It really sucks to clean up and repair after a hurricane.

[NautiNurse]

Ana formed on Sunday as a subtropical storm, the earliest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season since 1978 and one of only two April storms in recorded history.

Odd--but the NHC records show 1978 Atlantic Tropical Storm Amelia formed in July.

[dirtboy]

It may have been an unnamed storm - they have those, one being the hurricane that formed towards the end of the Perfect Storm in 1991.

[NautiNurse]

ok--that makes sense.

[dirtboy]

Actually, upon further research that isn't the case - in 1992, for example, there was an unnamed subtropical storm in April, and that is noted in the hurricane history for that year on weatherunderground.com. 1978 is probably a typo, but I ain't gonna root through a hundred years of history to find the right year.

[Howlin]

I almost fell out of my chair when the first alert came across.

I had to LOOK at a calendar.

Not good.

[dirtboy]

It's hard to say what kind of season this portends. There was an unnamed subtropical storm in 1992 and we only had six named storms after that. Of course, one of those was named Andrew...

[fml]

Just finished my roof last week! I like the storms actually, just not in my living room.

[NautiNurse]

1978 is probably a typo

LOL! I did root around a bit thinking the same thing. Tried 1977, 1979 and 1987. Found nothing in those, then quit.

[NautiNurse]

Just finished my roof last week!

I am planning to go ahead and take some prophylactic Advil tomorrow morning as soon as my feet hit the floor, then take a nice long shower. The solar guys must show up first to remove all the solar panels--including the water heater and PVS...if this goes as planned, it will be a miracle.

[demnomo]

Do you get strong effects of coastal Hurricanes in the Raleigh/Durham area?

Every couple of years or so, my family and I vacation in Hilton Head or the Outer Banks. We usually go in late May or early June to avoid the storm season. We have been lucky thus far. (Last year, we visited Hilton Head later and lucked out again. The weather was gorgeous.)

[malakhi]

for example, there was an unnamed subtropical storm in April

Right. They only started naming subtropical storms last year.

000
WTNT31 KNHC 221549
TCPAT1

BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM ANA ADVISORY NUMBER 7
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 AM AST TUE APR 22 2003

...ANA BECOMES TROPICAL...

SHIP AND SATELLITE DATA SHOW THAT ANA HAS ACQUIRED THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF A TROPICAL...RATHER THAN SUBTROPICAL...CYCLONE...
WITH STRONGEST WINDS AND WARMER TEMPERATURES NEAR THE CENTER.

AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ANA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 29.8 NORTH... LONGITUDE 57.5 WEST OR ABOUT 460
MILES...740 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA.

ANA IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST NEAR 16 MPH ...26 KM/HR...AND THIS
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO 50 MPH... 85 KM/HR...WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT
24 HOURS.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 145 MILES ...230 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 996 MB...29.41 INCHES.

REPEATING THE 11 AM AST POSITION...29.8 N... 57.5 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...EAST NEAR 16 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 50 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 996 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
5 PM AST.

FORECASTER LAWRENCE

[Howlin]

Ah, yeah!

http://members.cox.net/wxr/td6a.gif

[NautiNurse]

Please, let me nod fervently that Hurricane Fran was a direct inland hit to the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill area--flashbacks still occur. I can also provide first hand experience that Hurricane Hugo (1989) landed a direct hit into Charlotte, NC.

After those two storms, I moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida. NC has had many, and more devastating storms than the Tampa Bay area in the past several decades.