Tropical Storm Alberto (1988)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Tropical Storm Alberto
Type=Tropical storm
Year=1988
Basin=Atl
Image location=Alberto 07 aug 1988 1242Z.jpg


Formed=August 5, 1988
Dissipated=August 8, 1988
1-min winds=35
Pressure=1002
Da

Fatalities=None reported
Areas=Maine, Atlantic Canada
Hurricane season=1988 Atlantic hurricane season

Tropical Storm Alberto became a tropical storm further north than any other Atlantic tropical cyclone. The first tropical storm of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto developed from a trough of low pressure off the coast of South Carolina on August 5. It tracked quickly northeastward, and intensified into a tropical storm at its record latitude on August 7 while located about 60 miles (95 km) east of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. Alberto continued its fast forward motion, and struck western Nova Scotia late on August 7. It became extratropical the next day, and dissipated shortly thereafter to the north of Newfoundland. Alberto produced light rainfall and gusty winds across its path. No damage was reported.

Meteorological history

On August 4, a trough of low pressure developed off the coast of South Carolina. Satellite imagery indicated the presence of a low-level circulation, and the system developed into Tropical Depression Two on August 5 while located about 130 miles (210 km) south-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina. The depression steadily tracked northeastward. Operationally, it was not classified as a tropical cyclone until 24 hours later, while located about 135 miles (220 km) east of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Under the influence of an approaching weak frontal trough, the depression accelerated its forward motion to the northeast. The trough also enhanced the upper-level outflow of the depression, and at 1200 UTC on August 7 the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Alberto while located about 60 miles (95 km) east of Nantucket, Massachusetts.cite web|author=National Hurricane Center|year=1988|title=Preliminary Report for Tropical Storm Alberto|accessdate=2007-03-28|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1988-prelim/alberto/prelim01.gif]

Shortly after becoming a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning from Bar Harbor to Eastport, Maine. Alberto continued quickly to the northeast at a forward speed of around 29 mph (47 km/h). Due to its fast forward motion, convection remained fairly minimal, resulting in little change in intensity. Late on August 7, Alberto made landfall on the western coast of Nova Scotia near St. Marys Bay. It briefly re-emerged into the Bay of Fundy before crossing the Isthmus of Chignecto and Prince Edward Island. Alberto quickly lost its remaining convection over the cold waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and became an extratropical cyclone on August 8. Shortly thereafter, the extratropical remnant dissipated in the Atlantic Ocean to the north of Newfoundland.

Impact and records

In Maine, Alberto resulted in brief durations of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Rainfall reached about 0.25 inches (8 mm) in Lewiston,cite web|author=Wayne Cotterly|year=1996|title=Hurricanes and Tropical Storms; Their Impact on Maine and Androscoggin County|accessdate=2007-03-28|url=http://www.pivot.net/~cotterly/hurricane.PDF] with higher totals of over 2.4 inches (60 mm) reported near Millinocket. No damage was reported in Maine.cite web|author=National Weather Service and Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University at Albany State University of New York|year=2001|title=The Distribution of Precipitation over the Northeast Accompanying Landfalling and Transitioning Tropical Cyclones|accessdate=2007-03-28|url=http://www.atmos.albany.edu/student/deluca/alberto1988.ps.gif] The storm produced peak wind gusts of 48 mph (78 km/h) at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Alberto dropped light to moderate amounts of precipitation across its track including a report of 1.78 inches (45.1 mm) in Saint John, New Brunswick,cite web|author=Canadian Hurricane Centre|year=2003|title=Storms of 1988 in Canada|accessdate=2007-03-28|url=http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/storm88.html] most of which fell in a short amount of time. The rainfall led to localized flooding, which briefly closed some streets.cite news|author=Toronto Star|date=1988-08-08|title=Tropical storm Alberto fizzles out before hitting N.S.|accessdate=2007-03-28] The extratropical remnants of Alberto also produced light rain and some clouds along western Newfoundland.

Located at 41.5º N, Alberto became a tropical storm further north than any other Atlantic tropical cyclone since reliable tropical cyclone observation began in 1941. The previous northernmost latitude at which a system had become a tropical storm was an unnamed hurricane at 40.5º N in 1971. Prior to that, a hurricane in 1855 and another in 1858 were first observed at latitudes farther north than Alberto, but their tracks were incomplete and therefore not considered reliable.cite web| author=NHC Hurricane Research Division|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|year=2007|accessdate=2007-06-20|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html]

Due to the lack of damage, the name Alberto was re-used in 1994, 2000, and 2006. It is on the list for 2012.

ee also

* Other tropical cyclones named Alberto

References

External links

* [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1988-prelim/alberto/ National Hurricane Center Preliminary Report for Tropical Storm Alberto]
* [http://ams.allenpress.com/archive/1520-0493/117/10/pdf/i1520-0493-117-10-2248.pdf 1988 Atlantic Hurricane Season Summary]