Rare Sub Tropical Cyclone Forms in Gulf of Mexico
by Kelly Smith, Meteorologist
February 06, 2012 10:36 AM
While the weather may be quiet in the Sioux Empire, there is a particularly rare occurrence taking shape in the Gulf of Mexico. A rare February Sub Tropical Cyclone formed Sunday off the Yucatan peninsula.This rare Sub Tropical Cyclone labeled: Invest 90-L by the National Hurricane Center is currently being watched for future development. The storm formed just off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula on Sunday and moved to the east towards Florida bringing heavy rains and gusty winds. The National Hurricane Center is only giving this storm a 20 percent chance of development but if it were to develop it wouldn’t be the first February Tropical Storm.
(Water Vapor Imagery of Invest 90-L from Sunday February 5th at 9am)
The first ever February Tropical Storm to make a U.S. landfall was 60 years ago last week. Known as the Groundhog’s Day Tropical Storm, it made landfall at Cape Sable, Florida on February 2nd 1952. The storm took both tourists and residents by surprise when it made landfall bringing heavy rains and winds gusting up to 68 mph. The storm exited Florida around Miami, moved into the Atlantic Ocean and traveled up the eastern seaboard making it’s final landfall in Maine. The storm caused damage in Florida to boats and downed power lines in New England but thankfully no one was injured.
Invest 90-L is forecasted to move across Florida in a low shear environment and could possibly become more organized Monday afternoon or evening, however the possibility is still very low. 90-L is expected to bring rainfall from one to three inches and winds 20 to 25 mph to southern Florida Monday and Tuesday before moving east into the Atlantic.
(Satellite and Radar Imagery of Invest 90-L Sunday February 5th at 9am)
Quiet weather will continue this week, with temperatures falling back towards seasonably average and no great chances for snow or rain in the near future.
The KDLT weather team sends their condolences to the family and friends of Andy Gabrielson. Andy was a Luverne, Minnesota native who was well respected in the weather community for his work chasing tornadoes. Gabrielson was tragically killed Saturday in an accident following a storm-chasing trip in Oklahoma. Andy Gabrielson 1987-2012
