Andrea, Atlantic season's 1st named system, weakens less than 24 hours after forming
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Monday said that the first named storm of the 2019 Atlantic season had formed hundreds of miles southwest of Bermuda. It was given the name Andrea and classified a subtropical storm by the NHC.
Less than 24 hours after being named, Andrea had weakened to an extratropical storm and was no longer considered an organized tropical system.
AccuWeather meteorologists have been monitoring the low pressure system, which has largely existed as an area of showers and thunderstorms, since last week. On Monday, it moved to the north of the Bahamas as it gathered strength, prompting the NHC to send the aircraft to examine the storm.
Andrea marks the fifth consecutive year with a named storm in the Atlantic basin before the official start of the season, according to Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at University of Miami's Rosenstiel School.
AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski emphasized that, while the storm was strong enough to be given a name, it was not an impressive weather system.
A National Hurricane Center graphic showing the formation of the short-lived Subtropical Storm Andrea, the 2019 Atlantic Basin Hurricane season's first named system, on May 20. Andrea dissipated less than 24 hours later. (NHC)
Kottlowski said that the lower water temperatures were part of the storm's downfall. He said water temperatures in the Atlantic where Andrea was moving above were about 78 degrees Fahrenheit (26 C). As what is left of the storm moves east, the water it encounters will only become cooler.
"The impacts [to Bermuda] will be gusty winds, brief heavy rainfall and rough surf," Kottlowski said. Anyone captaining an ocean vessel in the area should take extra caution, but Kottlowksi said this will not be a major event for Bermuda. "They have worse winter storms than this will be," he added.
Kottlowski also advised not to read too much into what this means for the rest of the Atlantic Basin hurricane season. "Early-season development like this does not portend what the rest of the hurricane season will bring, especially since this was a weak storm," he said.
But it does take a name off the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season list, meaning the next tropical storm that develops in the Atlantic will be called Barry.
Andrea fizzled on Tuesday afternoon, as seen on satellite below.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay on top of development in the tropics throughout the globe. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
