First Tropical System Forms Ahead Of Hurricane Season

CLEAR LAKE, TX — The official start of hurricane season is still a week away, and the Gulf of Mexico is already seeing the first tropical disturbance of 2018.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Subtropical Storm Alberto, which is located in the Western Caribbean, will slowly make its way into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend.

The storm is skirting the Yucatan in southern Mexico and will enter the Gulf of Mexico this weekend.

However, it will likely be little more than a weak tropical storm that impacts areas of the eastern Gulf Coast.

However, as the first named storm of the season, Alberto could also be a harbinger for the Gulf Coast states and the Atlantic seaboard.

For 2018, 14 named tropical storms are predicted to form, with seven strengthening into hurricanes, and three of those major hurricanes.

That is about on par with what the U.S. saw in 2017, with 17 named storms forming in the Gulf of Mexico, or the mid Atlantic.

RELATED: Be Prepared: Experts Predict Another Busy Hurricane Season

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