Meteorologists closely monitoring massive Atlantic Ocean storm churning off East Coast
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 2, 2020 5:30 PM EDT
A massive storm is churning and has stalled over the western Atlantic Ocean, just offshore of the East Coast -- and it may acquire some tropical characteristics as it blasts New England with wind, cold air, rain and even wet snow late this week.
The overall structure of the storm is complex. Even though the system produced cold rain and even occasional wet snow on its periphery, its core has warm characteristics, like that of a tropical storm.
The sun rises on a large storm sitting off of the U.S. East Coast on April 3, 2020. (NOAA / GOES-EAST)
"There is probably less than a 30% chance the storm could be dubbed a subtropical storm at some point through Saturday night," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said, adding that if the system does not acquire enough tropical characteristics by Sunday, it probably will not be dubbed subtropical.
"There might be a short period of time where this feature might take on the appearance of a hybrid system but it probably will not last long enough for it to be named," he added.
There are some similarities to the storm this week and the "Halloween Storm or Perfect Storm" of autumn 1991. The storm in 1991 stalled for several days off the coast of New England spanning late October and early November. The current setup is missing a key ingredient to that of 1991, which is interaction by Hurricane Grace.
This image captured on October 30, 1991, shows the "Perfect Storm / Halloween Storm" off the New England coast. (NOAA/GOES)
A subtropical storm is a type of hybrid storm, showing both tropical and non-tropical characteristics, and can sometimes transition into a named tropical storm or hurricane. Subtropical and tropical systems are unusual but not unheard of outside of the official Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
According to National Hurricane Center (NHC) records, dating back to 1851, at least one named tropical storm or hurricane has occurred during every month of the year in the Atlantic. However, off-season systems are not common and do not develop every year.
There have been two named tropical systems in April, Tropical Storm Arlene in 2017 and Tropical Storm Ana in 2003. Arlene developed in the central Atlantic several hundreds of miles east of Bermuda as a subtropical depression and then intensified further to become fully tropical. At its peak intensity on April 21, Arlene had a small eye that was visible on satellite images.
Ana was the first tropical storm ever to form during the month of April after a cold front stalled well off the East coast, according to the NHC. Similar to Arlene, Ana first brewed into a subtropical storm and it did so on April 20, 2003, about 250 miles west of Bermuda, before it became fully tropical on April 21.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Satellite photos since Wednesday revealed that thunderstorms are circulating near the center of the feature currently spinning over the Atlantic, much like that which occurs in warm-core systems such as tropical storms and hurricanes.
Should the system be dubbed a subtropical storm, the first name on the list of the Atlantic hurricane season for 2020 is Arthur. The Atlantic storm will wobble a few hundred miles offshore before tracking eastward.
"The persistence and strength of this storm has the sea agitated and large waves will pound the northern- and eastern-facing shoreline of New England and to some extent the mid-Atlantic," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. Waves well offshore of 15-25 feet will pose a risk for commercial fishing vessels.
Water levels generally ranged from 1-2 feet above normal over eastern New England on Friday and Saturday as the storm churned offshore.
Coastal problems associated with this storm will likely pale in comparison to that of the Halloween Storm of 1991. The storm into this weekend is not as intense and a bit farther off the coast than the storm from late October 1991.
"The retreat of the ocean storm means good news for outdoor enthusiasts, as drier air will return along with sunshine and there will also be much less wind compared to that of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," Anderson said.
However, the air will remain cool, especially across New England and eastern New York state, including the New York City and Long Island areas. The nights and mornings will be chilly through Sunday.
"As the afternoons try to warm up with the April sunshine, there will likely be a chilly sea breeze pushing inland along the coast from Maine to New Jersey both days," Anderson added. The effect of the sea breeze will be to keep those coastal areas several degrees lower than farther inland.
"Despite the cool air lingering, the sunshine should feel quite nice for those going outside for a walk during the middle of the afternoon," Anderson said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Meteorologists closely monitoring massive Atlantic Ocean storm churning off East Coast
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 2, 2020 5:30 PM EDT
A massive storm is churning and has stalled over the western Atlantic Ocean, just offshore of the East Coast -- and it may acquire some tropical characteristics as it blasts New England with wind, cold air, rain and even wet snow late this week.
The overall structure of the storm is complex. Even though the system produced cold rain and even occasional wet snow on its periphery, its core has warm characteristics, like that of a tropical storm.
The sun rises on a large storm sitting off of the U.S. East Coast on April 3, 2020. (NOAA / GOES-EAST)
"There is probably less than a 30% chance the storm could be dubbed a subtropical storm at some point through Saturday night," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said, adding that if the system does not acquire enough tropical characteristics by Sunday, it probably will not be dubbed subtropical.
"There might be a short period of time where this feature might take on the appearance of a hybrid system but it probably will not last long enough for it to be named," he added.
There are some similarities to the storm this week and the "Halloween Storm or Perfect Storm" of autumn 1991. The storm in 1991 stalled for several days off the coast of New England spanning late October and early November. The current setup is missing a key ingredient to that of 1991, which is interaction by Hurricane Grace.
This image captured on October 30, 1991, shows the "Perfect Storm / Halloween Storm" off the New England coast. (NOAA/GOES)
A subtropical storm is a type of hybrid storm, showing both tropical and non-tropical characteristics, and can sometimes transition into a named tropical storm or hurricane. Subtropical and tropical systems are unusual but not unheard of outside of the official Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
According to National Hurricane Center (NHC) records, dating back to 1851, at least one named tropical storm or hurricane has occurred during every month of the year in the Atlantic. However, off-season systems are not common and do not develop every year.
There have been two named tropical systems in April, Tropical Storm Arlene in 2017 and Tropical Storm Ana in 2003. Arlene developed in the central Atlantic several hundreds of miles east of Bermuda as a subtropical depression and then intensified further to become fully tropical. At its peak intensity on April 21, Arlene had a small eye that was visible on satellite images.
Ana was the first tropical storm ever to form during the month of April after a cold front stalled well off the East coast, according to the NHC. Similar to Arlene, Ana first brewed into a subtropical storm and it did so on April 20, 2003, about 250 miles west of Bermuda, before it became fully tropical on April 21.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Satellite photos since Wednesday revealed that thunderstorms are circulating near the center of the feature currently spinning over the Atlantic, much like that which occurs in warm-core systems such as tropical storms and hurricanes.
Should the system be dubbed a subtropical storm, the first name on the list of the Atlantic hurricane season for 2020 is Arthur. The Atlantic storm will wobble a few hundred miles offshore before tracking eastward.
"The persistence and strength of this storm has the sea agitated and large waves will pound the northern- and eastern-facing shoreline of New England and to some extent the mid-Atlantic," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. Waves well offshore of 15-25 feet will pose a risk for commercial fishing vessels.
Water levels generally ranged from 1-2 feet above normal over eastern New England on Friday and Saturday as the storm churned offshore.
Coastal problems associated with this storm will likely pale in comparison to that of the Halloween Storm of 1991. The storm into this weekend is not as intense and a bit farther off the coast than the storm from late October 1991.
Related:
"The retreat of the ocean storm means good news for outdoor enthusiasts, as drier air will return along with sunshine and there will also be much less wind compared to that of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," Anderson said.
However, the air will remain cool, especially across New England and eastern New York state, including the New York City and Long Island areas. The nights and mornings will be chilly through Sunday.
"As the afternoons try to warm up with the April sunshine, there will likely be a chilly sea breeze pushing inland along the coast from Maine to New Jersey both days," Anderson added. The effect of the sea breeze will be to keep those coastal areas several degrees lower than farther inland.
"Despite the cool air lingering, the sunshine should feel quite nice for those going outside for a walk during the middle of the afternoon," Anderson said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo