Storm One

After last year’s hurricane season, we all might be paying a little more attention as this year’s season begins on June 1. But Mother Nature doesn’t follow anyone’s calendar but her own. Meteorologist J. McGuinnes of Weather Routing, Inc., informed us that the first Southeast Pacific subtropical cyclone on record occurred the week of May 6, 2018. It was spotted off the coast of Chile and lasted several days, with sustained thunderstorm activity and winds reaching as high as 45 knots (~50mph). According to WRI, this is an extremely rare phenomenon. The formation of tropical/subtropical cyclones in the Southeast Pacific basin is incredibly rare. In fact, no other systems have ever been recorded anywhere close to this recent storm.