TORONTO – Though the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t start until June 1, meteorologists are keeping a close eye on a system off the coast of the Carolinas that could give the season an early start.
As of Thursday afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center is forecasting an 80 per cent chance of tropical storm formation within the next 48 hours.
Though the hurricane season hasn’t officially started yet, it’s not completely unheard of for a hurricane to develop in May.
READ MORE: Atlantic hurricane season predictions fall flat
In 2012, two tropical storms formed before the official start of the season: Tropical storm Alberto formed on May 19, and Tropical Storm Beryl formed on May 25.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration considers an “early” hurricane as occurring three months before the start of the season (a late one would be three months after the end of the season). With that definition, the earliest hurricane to develop in the Atlantic basin would be the hurricane that formed on March 7, 1908. The earliest hurricane to strike the United States was Hurricane Alma on June 9, 1966.
It’s interesting to note that the past few years have been relatively quiet in the Atlantic: It’s been nine years since a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale) struck the United States.
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