This week many of us were a little surprised to hear that the National Hurricane Center determined that a big swirl that meteorologists noticed in the Atlantic Ocean in January had qualified as an official subtropical storm after examination of additional weather data tabulated after the storm dissipated. Since NHC counts subtropical storms as part of the Atlantic tropical season, that means our season this year actually began in January, much earlier than the official start of the season on June 1. The storm will not be retroactively named Arlene but will be called AL012023 and Arlene will become the second storm of the 2023 season when it occurs. This is not the first time that a tropical or subtropical storm has occurred in January, but it is definitely rare, with only a total of six events in history.
You can read more about how this occurred and the difference between tropical and subtropical storms at the links below. When you look at the image below, you won’t be surprised at the categorization, and many meteorologists wondered at the time about the lack of a designation, so I am glad it was finally recognized.
Forbes: Did The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season Actually Start In January?
CBS 12: Subtropical storm formed in January, first storm of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season
