Just how early is Tropical Storm Alberto?

NASA

We've already discussed the formation and forecast of Tropical Storm Alberto, but with hurricane season not officially starting until June 1, just how early is Alberto?

Well, the earliest tropical storm to form on record was on February 2, 1952, named the "Groundhog Day" storm, and came up through Florida.  And Alberto doesn't have a shot at the earliest hurricane, either.  That honor goes to an unnamed storm. formed on March 6, 1908.

Alberto isn't even that early compared to other early storm seasons. Since 1851 there have been five tropical storms to form between February and April, and 18 to form in May — on average, one out of every ten Mays see a tropical storm form.

Though the earliest date on record for a Category 4 storm is June 27 — we still have an unfortunate chance there.

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