Publication Date June 20, 2016 | WxShift

Danielle Continues Streak of Early Season Tropical Storms

Bay of Campeche
Danielle has formed in the Bay of Campeche - the earliest 4th named storm on record (old record was 6/23 in 2012). Image: NOAA
Danielle has formed in the Bay of Campeche - the earliest 4th named storm on record (old record was 6/23 in 2012). Image: NOAA

Tropical Storm Danielle became the fourth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season on Monday, the earliest on record that the fourth tropical storm of a season has formed...

“All in all, the environment is more conducive this year than last year, primarily due to the lack of El Niño,” [researcher Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University] said in an email.

This early activity doesn’t tell much about what might happen later in summer when storm activity typically peaks, he cautioned.

“Pretty much the key is to see if we get [storms forming] out of the deep tropics in July,” he said. “That's typically a harbinger of a very active upcoming hurricane season.”

However, researchers are studying the possibility that rising ocean temperatures caused by global warming could lengthen the hurricane season, leading to more storms at its tails. Some research on recent trends suggests the hurricane season might be getting longer, but projections from climate models have had mixed results