Beginning around May 20, a trough of low pressure located in the western Caribbean produced widespread thunderstorm activity as it interacted with an upper-level low. Over the next several days, the disturbance tracked generally northwestward. In the mean time, abundant moisture in the area caused sporadic rainfall from portions of Honduras to the Yucatan Peninsula to western Cuba. Even after a surface low formed, the system remained quite disorganized due to land interaction with the Yucatan and strong upper-level winds out of the west. Despite fairly hostile conditions, the low became better defined during the day of May 24. By the morning of the 25th, the surface low had emerged over water adjacent to the northeast Yucatan Peninsula with a large area of strong thunderstorms to the north and east. In addition, buoy and ship reports suggested the presence of winds to gale force. Since the low was situated under an upper-level trough, and not the upper-level high associated with traditional tropical storms, the system was designated Subtropical Storm Alberto late that morning.
During that day, the surface circulation of Alberto was far removed from the thunderstorm activity to the north and east. In fact, the overall circulation appeared to me moving northeast while the low-level swirl drifted just south of east. Nevertheless, heavy rains continued over much of Cuba and the outer bands began to affect southern Florida. Overnight, upper level winds lessened considerably, and limited convection finally appeared near the surface center. The center also turned north and accelerated early on May 26, essentially "catching up" with the rest of the circulation. As a result, Alberto's satellite presentation improved considerably. A further reformation of the center took place later that day, this time to the northeast of the previous position. This and the system's generally northward movement brought Alberto into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, not too far from the west coast of Florida. However, this coast was saved from the heavier rainfall by a dry slot in the eastern semicircle; it was now the other side that had most of the convection.
That evening and overnight, Alberto's pressure dropped considerably, its center became better defined, and it began to take on some more tropical characteristics. The storm's maximum winds increased in turn during the day of May 27. The storm also turned toward the northwest briefly under the influence of an upper-level low. Despite organization improvements, dry air was taking its toll on Alberto, invading via the western side and eroding deep convection away from the center. Situated over relatively cold eastern Gulf waters, the system also did not develop the deep warm core needed to be classified as a tropical storm. Nevertheless, Alberto reached its peak intensity of 65 mph winds and a pressure of 991 mb that evening as it approached the Florida panhandle.
Continued dry air intrusion and proximity to land decreased the storm's winds gradually as bands of heavy rain swept across the Gulf coast early on May 28. The center of Alberto made landfall that afternoon in the Florida panhandle, bringing heavy rains and localized flooding to parts of the southeast U.S. At landfall, the storm had maximum winds of 50 mph. That night, it weakened to a subtropical depression over land as it continued northward over Alabama. Curiously, the system completed its transition to a tropical cyclone (becoming a tropical depression) over Tennessee late that evening. The circulation maintained its identity and continued to cause rainfall even into May 30, when it finally became extratropical over Michigan. Alberto marked an early start to the Atlantic hurricane season for the 4th consecutive time, only the 2nd known time this has occurred (after 1951-4).
The above image shows Alberto in the eastern Gulf of Mexico on May 27.
Alberto was subtropical most of its life (square points) but transitioned over land to a tropical depression (blue circular points) and maintained this status remarkably far north.
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