Early-Forming Ana Is First Named Storm of 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season (Which Officially Starts June 1)

For the seventh year in a row, a named storm formed before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Subtropical storm Ana formed on Saturday in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Bermuda and by Sunday evening had weakened to a Tropical Depression and never threatened land. Increases in air and ocean temperatures due to climate change have wide-ranging effects on hurricane precipitation, intensity, and coastal flooding.

The recent trend of earlier storms is yet another indication of the effects of climate change on tropical weather systems, scientists say, but more research is needed to definitively link the expansion of hurricane season with climate change.

For a deeper dive:

The Washington Post, Earther, Yale Climate Connections, NPR, Weather Channel, The New York Times, USA Today, CNN; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes

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