Hurricane season began in January with reclassification of system as subtropical storm
MIAMI -- The 2023 hurricane season has begun based on a reassessment of a strong area of low pressure that formed of the east coast in mid-January.
The system is now designated as a subtropical storm.
It will not have a name so the first named storm of the 2023 season will remain Arlene, but should it begin as a tropical depression it will be classified as Tropical Depression 2.
The storm, while it remained off the northeast coast, did bring some cooler temperatures down to South Florida.
The low temperature on Monday, Jan. 16 in Miami dipped to 44 degrees, and the high was only 74.
Hurricane Alex in January 2016 was the last time a tropical system formed in the month of January.
Other hurricanes include Alice in 1954 and an unnamed storm in 1938.
In addition to these three, there were three other unnamed systems that formed in January for a total of six, not including this year's storm. None of these January storms on record made landfall in the U.S.
Hurricane season officially begins June 1.
The National Hurricane Center will issue a detailed report about this first subtropical storm over the next few months.