Where are Atlantic tropical storms most likely to form in June?
Early in the Atlantic hurricane season, tropical storm formation often occurs very close to North America.
Atmospheric conditions are often too hostile for tropical development over the central and eastern Atlantic during June.
Strong wind shear is often present over the central and eastern Atlantic, since dry air often sweeps well west of Africa. Wind shear is the change in wind direction and speed at different layers of the atmosphere.
In addition, features that move off the coast of Africa are often weak this early in the season. These disturbances tend to become the backbone of tropical storm formation during the heart of the season.
"During June, tropical storm formation tends to take place in zones where a swath of moisture has been left behind in the Gulf of Mexico, the northwestern Caribbean Sea or just off the southern Atlantic coast," said AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.
"This is also a zone where water temperatures are typically the highest, relative to the rest of the Atlantic basin."
June tropical systems are not usually very strong and typically peak as a tropical storm or minimal hurricane.
On average, there is approximately one tropical storm every other year and one hurricane every 10 years during June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
However, an exception to this was Category 4 Hurricane Audrey (1957), which slammed ashore near the Texas and Louisiana border and killed more than 400 people.
Many times, June storms are not known for their wind, but rather for copious amounts of rain they produce. It is not uncommon for a slow-moving tropical storm to unload 6-12 inches of rain with locally higher amounts.
Among the recent names of June hurricanes are Agnes (1972), Allison (2001) and Alex (2010).
Where the storms move after they form depends on the weather pattern.
Most storms that form over the upper part of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico tend to move northward toward the southern United States.
Storms that tend to form east of Florida to southeast of North Carolina tend to curve to the northeast, but instead may brush the coast.
Storms that tend to form over the southwestern part of the Caribbean tend to drift toward Central America.
However, there are some exceptions. When steering winds are very light, a storm can meander just about anywhere from the western Caribbean to the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Report a Typo
