Subtropical Storm Alberto forms in Caribbean, hurricane forecasters say

http://www.nola.com/ ^ | 5/25/18 | Carlie Kollath Wells

[BBell]

Subtropical Storm Alberto has formed in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, hurricane forecasters said at 9 a.m. Friday.

Alberto is the first named Atlantic storm of 2018, and has formed ahead of the traditional hurricane season which begins June 1.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and rip currents to the Gulf Coast through Memorial Day weekend.

Here's the current forecast cone for the storm:

The main difference between a subtropical storm and tropical storm is core temperature, according to Shawn O'Neil, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Slidell. Subtropical storms have slightly lower core temperatures than tropical storms. It's also possible that Alberto will transition to a tropical storm, he said.

[sailor76]

Thanks.

[NELSON111]

>>>Is a Subtropical storm the same thing as tropical depression... When did we start naming tropical depressions?

No. A sub-tropical storm is a hybrid tropical storm. It has the wind speeds of a tropical storm but not all of the tropical characteristics, meaning it is completely warm-core. It is a hybrid between a topical and extra-tropical system.

Their convection and strongest winds are usually on the north and northeast sides and the center of lowest pressure is usually sheered. They will usually transition to a warm-core system given enough time.

There are also sub-tropical depressions. They name them because they can be just as dangerous, mostly due to fresh-water flooding (heavy rain) as a regular tropical storm.