Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Alberto approaching Texas on July 3, near peak intensity | |
Formed | June 29, 2018 |
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Dissipated | July 5, 2018 |
Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 75 mph (120 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 987 mbar (hPa); 29.15 inHg |
Fatalities | 3 total |
Damage | $315 million (2018 USD) |
Areas affected | Yucatan Peninsula, Northern Mexico, Southeastern Texas |
Part of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Alberto was one of the earliest hurricanes on record to make landfall in the U.S. state of Texas. The first named storm and first hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto caused moderate damage in the Yucatan Peninsula and Southern Texas.
Meteorological History[]
A tropical wave exited the coast of Africa early on June 18. The wave moved briskly westward for the next several days across the tropical Atlantic, due to a strong subtropical ridge to the system's north. The wave remained embedded in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), with little to no deep convection. Deep convection began to increase on June 24 as the wave approached Trinidad and Tobago, but the wave did not possess a well-defined circulation at the time. At this time, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) gave the system a low chance of development within 48 hours, but a medium chance within five days, as conditions were expected to become more conducive for development in the Western Caribbean Sea or Bay of Campeche.
The wave's forward speed began to decrease as it moved into the central Caribbean Sea, but the wave's low latitude and proximity to land prevented the wave from developing into a tropical cyclone during this time. Early on June 28, the wave began to show some signs of organization as it moved into the Western Caribbean Sea. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigated the disturbance on the afternoon of June 29, finding a well-defined circulation. At this time, the system developed into the first tropical storm of the season over the Gulf of Honduras and was assigned the name Alberto. Alberto became the latest named storm for the Atlantic basin since Arthur in 2014, and was also the first since that time to not develop before the official start of the season on June 1. Operationally, the system was not named Alberto until 03:00 UTC on June 30, as the reconnaissance aircraft had not yet identified the circulation at the time advisories were initiated.