Tropical Storm Cindy (2023)

Storm Active: June 22-25

Around June 17, a new tropical wave showed signs of development in the eastern Atlantic. Though thunderstorm activity was limited at first, it blossomed on June 20 when persistent convection covered the nascent circulation. Finally, early on June 22, the small system was organized enough to be designated Tropical Depression Four.

Initially, the center of circulation was on the eastern edge of the convective canopy, but the storm gradually became better organized throughout the day and was ultimately named Tropical Storm Cindy that evening. The previously formed Tropical Storm Bret and Cindy both formed in the tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean sea during the month of June, the first time on record two storms had been named in that region during hurricane season's first month. It was also the first instance of simultaneous June named storms since 1968. The extremely warm waters in the vicinity were the main cause of that event.

Cindy was moving west-northwest steadily under the influence of the subtropical ridge, which had retreated northward a bit after keeping Bret on a more westward trek into the Caribbean. The storm intensified on June 23, though in fits and starts: it developed a banding structure in the early morning only for most convection to collapse in the afternoon and then return with a venegeance in the evening. The net result was that Cindy reached a peak of 60 mph winds before increasing shear began to expose the center of circulation again, this time on the northwest side of the thunderstorm activity.

Cindy turned toward the northwest and passed well northeast of the Lesser Antilles on June 24. The wind shear affecting the cyclone shifted to come from the southwest and increased even more. The storm's structure did not long survive this onslaught and Cindy dissipated late on June 25.

The image above shows Cindy northeast of the Lesser Antilles.

Cindy reached an area of high shear after passing 60 °W and dissipated not long after that.

Tropical Storm Bret (2023)

Storm Active: June 19-24

On June 15, a vigorous tropical wave moved over the eastern tropical Atlantic from mainland Africa. It was the first tropical wave of the 2023 season to show signs of development upon entering the basin, and marked a rather early start to the Cabo Verde hurricane season. The system moved quickly westward and steadily organized. By the 18th, there was rotation evident in the satellite signature; the next day, Tropical Depression Three formed.

Shortly afterward, the depression strenghtened into Tropical Storm Bret. Ocean temperatures and atmospheric humidity both favored further intensification, but its fast motion and some mid-level westerly shear made it more difficult for it to build a central core. Nonetheless, the storm's maximum winds increased steadily on June 20. Bret reached its peak intensity of 70 mph winds and a central pressure of 996 mb very early on June 22. It was near hurricane strength, but was rather lopsided and didn't have much spiral banding on satellite.

Later that morning, increasing wind shear caught up with the cyclone as the center of circulation began to outrun the convection to the west. The storm began to weaken but passed among the Leeward Islands that night still as a strong tropical storm, bringing strong winds to the islands. Bret picked up more speed toward the west as it traversed the eastern Caribbean on June 23. Even after the center had moved a few hundred miles to the west, the storm generated heavy rains over the Leeward Islands from all the moisture that the wind shear had displaced eastward.

Bret's center steadily degraded over the following day and it weakened. The storm took a fast southern route through the Caribbean and passed barely north of the Venezuelan coastline during the morning of June 24. Later that day, the circulation opened up and Bret dissipated north of Colombia. Some of the storm's remnants ultimately contributed to the formation of Hurricane Beatriz in the Eastern Pacific a few days later.

The image above shows Bret near peak intensity in the open tropical Atlantic. Though Bret neared hurricane strength, it never acquired the typical central dense overcast typical of a storm of that caliber.

As with many tropical storms with similar track before it, Bret ultimately succumbed to the hurricane graveyard of the eastern Caribbean.

Tropical Storm Arlene (2023)

Storm Active: June 1-3

Near the end of May, an area of thunderstorms formed in association with a trough over the Gulf of Mexico. A circulation gradually developed as it drifted northward. On the first official day of the Atlantic hurricane season, June 1, the low was classified Tropical Depression Two. It was given the "Two" designation because of the unnamed subtropical storm that had formed in January 2023. When it first formed, the depression was colocated with an upper-level trough; this gave it a pocket of mildly favorable conditions for intensification. It took advantage and strengthened into Tropical Storm Arlene on June 2, becoming the first named storm of the season.

Atmospheric conditions quickly soured after that, however. The aforementioned trough pushed eastward, exposing the cyclone to wind shear and encroaching dry air from the west. Though the storm formed with the Gulf coast nearby to the north and east, it actually picked up steam toward the south and moved away from land, following the flow of the trough. By later that day, it began to weaken. Early on June 3, it turned east of south and diminished into a tropical depression; it became a remnant low just hours later in the southern Gulf of Mexico adjacent to Cuba.

Arlene peaked as a weak tropical storm before being quickly snuffed out by dry air and unfavorable wind shear.

Arlene's southward track was somewhat unusual; it did not affect land during its brief lifetime.