Atlantic hurricane season kicks off, South Florida already on alert

MIAMI – The start of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season kicked off Wednesday, and meteorologists are already monitoring for tropical development in the basin.

The area of interest for tropical development during the first days of the Atlantic hurricane season is located from the southern Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Caribbean into the southwestern Atlantic.

As energy from Agatha moves into this zone, a new area of low pressure can develop and track to the northeast later this week.

It appears that any system that does develop in the area will remain poorly organized as it potentially crosses parts of Cuba, Florida and the Bahamas as a tropical rainstorm or tropical depression from late Thursday or Thursday night through Saturday.

While there will be strong vertical wind shear limiting rapid development, other factors will help to aid in this area of low pressure strengthening. It appears that this will at least bring areas of heavy rain and possible flooding along its track, along with the low risk for gusty winds.

The highest chance for this to form into a tropical storm will be as the low tracks into the southwestern Atlantic later this weekend or early next week. If it does become a tropical storm, it will be given the name Alex.

Elsewhere across the basin, tropical development is not expected during the next few days.

By AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.