The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, 2020, and according to forecasters, it is expected to be an active one this year. The season got an early start with two storms, Tropical Storm Arthur and Tropical Storm Bertha, both forming off the east-southern coast of the United States of America (USA).
Tropical Storm Arthur formed on May 16th off the Florida coast. It did not cause severe damage as it snaked up the east coast toward North Carolina. Arthur brought a lot of rain, but it did not enter land as it moved on an east-ward motion heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. The off-season tropical weather condition was considered relatively strong, causing flooding in parts of south Florida.
On Wednesday, May 27th, the second off-season storm named Bertha formed off the eastern coast of the USA. With maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, Bertha made landfall just to the east of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. Landfall occurred about one hour after Bertha quickly formed near the South Carolina coast Wednesday morning.
This is the sixth straight year that the hurricane season begins earlier, but this 2020 season is special, as it is one of the few that has delivered two named storms before the official starting date, June 1st. According to Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach, only five other seasons – dating to 1851 – have produced two storms before the beginning of the hurricane season. The most recent was in 2016, when an unprecedented Hurricane Alex appeared on the Atlantic Coast in January. In May of that same year, Tropical Storm Bonnie was formed off the south-east coast of the USA.
The National Hurricane Center selected June 1st to November 30th as the annual period of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, because it produces more than 97% of tropical storms. 2020 proves once again that there is a reason why it is only 97%, as off-season storms make brief appearances off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season storm names are Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, and Wilfred.
