The National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Monday said that the first named storm of the 2019 Atlantic Season had formed hundreds of miles southwest of Bermuda. It was given the name Andrea and classified a subtropical storm by the NHC.
"Data from an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft indicate that the low-pressure system located several hundred miles southwest of Bermuda has developed a well-defined center with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph," the NHC said in an advisory.
AccuWeather meteorologists have been monitoring the low-pressure system, which has largely existed as an area of showers and thunderstorms, since last week. On Monday, it moved to the north of the Bahamas as it gathered strength, prompting the NHC to send the aircraft to examine the storm.
AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski emphasized that, while the storm is strong enough to be given a name, it is not an impressive weather system.
"This is going to be a very short-lived storm," Kottlowski said. "It probably will not survive past Tuesday night and will definitely be moving away from Bermuda by then," Kottlowski said cool water temperatures will be the storm's downfall. He said water temperatures in the Atlantic where Andrea is moving above are about 78 degrees Fahrenheit (26C). As the storm moves northwest, the water it encounters will only become cooler.
According to the NHC's forecast cone, Andrea is expected to weaken to a depression by early Wednesday morning before it even reaches Bermuda. "The impacts [to Bermuda] will be gusty winds, brief heavy rainfall, and rough surf," Kottlowski said. Anyone captaining an ocean vessel in the area should take extra caution, but Kottlowksi said this storm would not be a major event for Bermuda. "They have worse winter storms than this will be," he added.
Kottlowksi also advised not to read too much into what this means for the rest of the Atlantic Basin hurricane season. "Early-season development like this does not portend what the rest of the hurricane season will bring, especially since this is a weak storm," he said.
But it does take a name off the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season list, meaning the next tropical storm that develops in the Atlantic will be called Barry.
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather Meteorologist