NOAA’s hurricane hunters find depression has strengthened into Tropical Storm Arlene
Hurricane season officially starts in June. Almost right on time, a tropical depression was forming in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday. A look into satellite from this morning shows it was just off the coast of Florida, and was moving south at 5 mph.
Formerly “Tropical Depression Two,” the disturbance was upgraded on Friday from a mission executed by the Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known as the “hurricane hunters.” Their mission was to collect data, and new information came to light that a tropical storm now sits in the Gulf of Mexico.
Data from NHC
The current models show that this storm is expected to stay away from the Florida coastline for now. It is not expected to reach hurricane status, based on the National Hurricane Center. The environment overall is not favorable for this storm. There is dry air and other factors working against it. Here is a look at the flight path with wind and pressure readings:
Data from NHC
These tropical cyclones are typically categorized based on sustained wind speeds:
- Tropical Depression – 38 mph or less
- Tropical Storm – 39-73 mph
- Hurricane – at least 74 mph
There is an alphabetical list for the Atlantic Basin east year, and this is the list of the first few names for 2023 in order:
For more details on the forecast, further updates and more, you can check in with the National Hurricane Center.
Meteorologist Jessica Blum
Twitter: JessicaBlumWx
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