Tropical Storm Edouard is Earliest Fifth Atlantic Named Storm on Record

Edouard became the earliest fifth named tropical storm on record to develop in the Atlantic Basin, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University. The fifth tropical storm of the season typically forms by August 31st, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Emily in 2005 held the previous record for the earliest fifth named storm.

Edouard's Origin

Edouard had its origins in a spinning cluster of thunderstorms that developed over the Tennessee Valley on July 1. The cluster, called a Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV), moved southeastward through Georgia and South Carolina, then moved off the coast.

From there, it slowly organized and wobbled around until becoming Tropical Depression Five on July 4, then Tropical Storm Edouard on the night of July 5.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.