Rare Late-Season Disturbance Could Become First December Subtropical Storm In 9 Years

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A storm system developing in the Atlantic this week could become the first named December storm in almost a decade, according to meteorologists, possibly making for an unusually late end to hurricane season—though this latest storm is not likely to pose a threat to the United States.

A late-season disturbance could become the first named December storm in nearly a decade.

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Key Facts

As of 8:30 Wednesday morning, a low-pressure area in the Atlantic has a 50% chance of developing into a cyclone over the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center—although it could become a tropical depression rather than a more powerful named storm.

If the storm continues to strengthen into a subtropical storm (a system with a colder center that tends to be less organized), it would be named Owen.

The disturbance, which is in a remote section of the Atlantic roughly 900 miles northeast of the Virgin Islands, is on a northeasterly trajectory over an area of warm water, giving it a chance of taking on “tropical characteristics” as it intensifies with thunderstorms near its core, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty said.

Although it’s not projected to make landfall, the storm could bring 30-40 foot waves as it moves into the eastern Atlantic toward the Azores, according to the Weather Channel.

Key Background

The last named storm in the Atlantic was Hurricane Nicole, which made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Florida’s Atlantic coast nearly a month ago. Meteorologists at Colorado State had predicted in April that this year’s hurricane season would be historically busy, with 19 named storms—including hurricanes and tropical storms—including four major hurricanes that reach Category 3 or higher. However, this year has been fairly typical, with 14 named storms (which is the seasonal average according to the NHC) and two major hurricanes, well below the 21 named storms reported in 2021. The first big storm of 2022 was Hurricane Fiona, which made landfall in Puerto Rico in mid-September as a Category 4 hurricane, causing the entire island to lose power. Two weeks later, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba before it strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico and made a second landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, killing at least 148 people as more than 2.5 million Florida residents lost power amid strong winds and heavy flooding.

Surprising Fact

The Atlantic hurricane season usually peaks around September 10, making December hurricanes and tropical storms a rarity, although it’s not impossible if the environmental conditions are right. There have been 10 December named storms in the Atlantic since 1950, with the most recent coming in 2007, although a more recent tropical cyclone was detected in 2013, but never named because it was identified in “post-season re-analysis,” Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach said.

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