Tropical Season Kicks Off with a Whimper

A low-pressure system with good spin but few thunderstorms is tracking away from land in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean east of Bermuda. The National Hurricane Center is giving it a high chance of developing into at least a tropical depression.

Satellite-measured winds are peaking just under tropical storm strength, so there's a slight chance it could get the first name of the year, Andrea.

The heat-dome of high pressure is sitting over the eastern US, and there’s a strong high over the eastern Atlantic as well. The low-pressure gap between them provided the environment for the small system to spin up.

The wannabe depression is going to have to get its act together today if it's going anywhere. The oceanic and atmospheric environment ahead is hostile. The system is on the edge of sufficiently warm water to develop, and strong upper-level winds will soon prohibit development.

No land is threatened, so this is all only for tropical amusement.

The tropical Atlantic between Africa and the Caribbean, the Caribbean Sea itself, and the Gulf remain closed to tropical development. Long-range computer forecast models show little to no chance of a system spinning up into early July, at least.

But of course, we watch closely.