For the first time in history, a third named storm could form in the Atlantic before hurricane season starts

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season doesn’t officially start until June 1, and we may already see our third named storm.

A new disturbance over the central Atlantic now has a 50% chance of development into a subtropical depression tonight or Saturday, according to a Friday morning outlook from the National Hurricane Center.

Currently, this sizable low-pressure area is moving northward several hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda, and producing a large area of showers, thunderstorms and gusty winds, according to the outlook.

If this weather system develops further and is named it will be called “Cristobal,” and will join Tropical Storm Arthur, which formed two weeks ago, and Tropical Storm Bertha, which formed Wednesday.

According to CNN meteorologist Haley Brink, if Cristobal does form it would be the first time on record that three named storms have appeared in this basin before the official start of the hurricane season.

On Thursday, experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an “above-normal” 2020 Hurricane Season.

Last week, experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an “above-normal” 2020 Hurricane Season. The six month hurricane season, beginning Monday, is expected to have 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-6 major hurricanes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Furthermore, there is a seven-day tax holiday, which will relieve Florida shoppers from paying sales tax on certain disaster-preparation items, starting today and ending on June 4. Qualifying items include flashlights, batteries, bungee chords, tie-down kits and more.

This story originally appeared in our sister paper Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
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This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2020.