After bringing tropical storm conditions to southern Florida as a disturbance, Potential Tropical Cyclone One has now acquired a sufficiently well-defined center of circulation to be designated Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. Alex is likely to move quickly east-northeastward over the next few days, passing north of Bermuda and becoming extratropical on Tuesday, if not sooner.

As of 11:00 a.m. EDT Sunday, Tropical Storm Alex was centered near 30.4°N 73.9°W, and was moving east-northeastward at about 23 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 50 knots (60 mph), with an estimated minimum pressure of 993 mb. Potential Tropical Cyclone One struggled to develop a well-defined circulation due to strong wind shear, but was named Tropical Storm Alex early this morning. Alex does not look like a classic tropical cyclone and remains a sheared tropical storm, with the low-level circulation displaced to the west of the associated convection. Alex could strengthen slightly today as it interacts with an upper-level trough. However, wind shear is expected to remain strong, and Alex is expected to transition into an extratropical cyclone by Tuesday, if not sooner. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Bermuda, so interests in Bermuda should continue to monitor the progress of Alex.

Alex’s formation is 15 days before the 1991-2020 average date of the Atlantic’s first named storm, which is June 20.