Tropical Storm Alex was a strong

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

that caused

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

ing in western

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

while developing into the first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. Alex originated from a broad area of low pressure partially related to the remnants of

Hurricane Agatha Hurricane Agatha was a Pacific hurricane which became the strongest hurricane to make landfall along the Pacific coast of Mexico in the month of May since records began in 1949. The first named storm and the first hurricane of the 2022 Pacific ...

in the Eastern Pacific. The

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...

(NHC) initiated advisories on it as ''

Potential Tropical Cyclone The following is a glossary of tropical cyclone terms. A ;Advisory: Official information issued by tropical cyclone warning centers describing all tropical cyclone watches and warnings in effect along with details concerning tropical cyclone lo ...

One'' over the eastern

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

on June 2.

Wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...

and dry air kept the system disorganized until after it crossed Florida two days later. Finally, on June 5, the system became sufficiently organized and was named ''Alex'' while located north of

Grand Bahama Grand Bahama is the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, with the town of West End located east of Palm Beach, Florida. It is the third largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island is ...

Island. Later that same day, Alex's winds briefly strengthened to . The storm brought rain and strong winds to

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

on June 6, before becoming a

post-tropical cyclone A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses enough tropical qualities to be considered a tropical cyclone. The word may refer to a former tropical cyclone undergoing extratropical transition or a tropical cyclone ...

that same day. Alex formed four days after the official start of the season, making the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season the first since

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

not to have a pre-season named storm. There were no reports of damage or casualties associated with Alex while it was a tropical storm. Its precursor disturbance, however, flooded streets and caused numerous power outages in Florida. And in Cuba it caused flooding and mudslides, which killed four people, damaged dozens of homes and knocked out electricity in various areas.

Meteorological history

On May 31, a large

low-pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

developed near the

, partially related to the Pacific basin remnants of

interacting with an upper-level

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

over the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

. The low produced a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms as it moved across the Yucatán over the ensuing few days. Due to the prospect that the disturbance might become a tropical depression or tropical storm with impacts in portions of Florida and western Cuba, it was designated as ''Potential Tropical Cyclone One'' on June 2, while located about north-northwest of

Cozumel Cozumel (; yua, Kùutsmil) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán ...

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...

. Around this time, surface observations and satellite imagery noted that the system remained disorganized due to southwesterly wind shear, with deep convection displaced from the estimated center. Early on the following day, Hurricane hunters estimated that the system was producing tropical storm-force winds and reported a low-level wind shift, but found no conclusive evidence of a closed circulation. Scatterometer data early on June 4 indicated the system had an elongated region of light winds and still lacked a well-defined center. Shortly after 12:00 UTC, the system struck the west coast of Florida between

Cape Coral Cape Coral is a city located in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957 and developed as a planned community, the city's population has grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 Census, a rise of 26% from the 2010 Census ...

and

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. After moving into the Atlantic later on June 4, the system's circulation became better defined, At 00:00 UTC on June 5, the disturbance finally established a well-defined center with sufficient convection, becoming Tropical Storm Alex approximately about north of

Island. Before the day was done, Alex reached its peak intensity with maximum winds of and a minimum central pressure of . After peaking, it weakened slightly and began to lose its tropical characteristics. By 12:00 UTC on June 6, the storm had transitioned to a

about north-northwest of Bermuda. Then, 12 hours later, the cyclone was absorbed within a

baroclinic In fluid dynamics, the baroclinity (often called baroclinicity) of a stratified fluid is a measure of how misaligned the gradient of pressure is from the gradient of density in a fluid. In meteorology a baroclinic flow is one in which the densi ...

zone. A few hours later however, a new area of low pressure formed in association with the deepening trough. And, energized by Alex's remnants, it soon was producing hurricane-force winds as it moved over the central Atlantic, On June 10–11, the new low passed between

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and the northern coast of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

near the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

. Then, it rapidly weakened while moving toward

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

which it reached on June 13.

Preparations and impact

Cuba

Upon the initiation of advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone One at 21:00 UTC on June 2 the government of Cuba issued a

tropical storm watch Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...

for

Artemisa Artemisa () is a municipality and city in Cuba, formerly part of La Habana Province. According to a law approved by the Cuban National Assembly in August 2010, Artemisa became the capital city of the newly formed Artemisa Province, which comprise ...

La Habana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Mayabeque, and

Pinar del Rio Pinar may refer to: * Pınar, Turkish feminine given name * Píñar, municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain * Pinar del Río, a city of Cuba * Pinar del Río Province, a province of Cuba * Pinar, Albania, village in Tirana County ...

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

, as well as

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Islan ...

. Heavy rain fell throughout western Cuba as the developing storm moved through the Gulf of Mexico, including a 30-hour total of of precipitation in Paso Real de San Diego, in Pinar del Río. The government reported that up to 4,480 people had been displaced in the province. The rains caused the

Cuyaguateje River Cuyaguateje River is a river of southern Cuba. See also *List of rivers of Cuba This is an incomplete list of rivers of Cuba, arranged from west to east, by coast, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name. North Coa ...

to overflow its banks, in what some longtime residents of Camino Verde, in the municipality of

Guane Guane is a municipality and town in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1602. Geography The municipality is divided into the barrios of Cabo de San Antonio y La Fe, Catalina, Cortés, Hato de Guane, Isabel Rubio (Paso Real d ...

, described as the worst flooding since Hurricane Alberto in 1982. In La Habana, rains caused 61 landslides around

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. Altogether, there were four storm related fatalities reported in Cuba: two in the Pinar del Río Province and two in Havana. Approximately 750 homes suffered varying degrees of damage, 21 of which were destroyed, and 158,000 customers lost power. Roughly of crops were damaged.

Florida

The NHC began posting tropical storm watches for Florida, encompassing the state's west coast south of

Longboat Key A longboat is a type of ship's boat that was in use from ''circa'' 1500 or before. Though the Royal Navy replaced longboats with launches from 1780, examples can be found in merchant ships after that date. The longboat was usually the largest boat ...

, the east coast from the Brevard–

Volusia Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 2 ...

county line southward,

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwat ...

Florida Bay Florida Bay is the bay located between the southern end of the Florida mainland (the Florida Everglades) and the Florida Keys in the United States. It is a large, shallow estuary that while connected to the Gulf of Mexico, has limited exchange o ...

, and the entirety of the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

. In addition, parts of

were put under a

flash flood warning A flash flood warning ( SAME code: FFW) is an hazardous weather statement issued by national weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public that a flash flood is imminent or occurring in the warned area. A flash flood is a ...

. Likewise, South Florida also experienced heavy rains in association with the precursor of Alex. Several locations observed at least of precipitation, including preliminary totals of in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, near

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

, near Biscayne Park, near Palmetto Bay, and at least in

Downtown Miami Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Park West. It ...

. Consequently, street flooding occurred in South Florida, especially from

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

to southern

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...

, leading to a few road closures and stalling cars, necessitating the rescue of several stranded motorists via the

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department (MDFR) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the unincorporated parts of Miami-Dade County, Florida, along with 30 municipalities located within the county. In all the department is respo ...

. The precursor to Alex also generated tropical storm-force wind gusts in the Miami metropolitan area, causing a combined 3,543 power outages in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. In

Pompano Beach Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2020 ...

, winds toppled a large tree onto a mobile home, rendering the residence uninhabitable. Damages across the state from the disturbance totaled $104,000.

The Bahamas

The Government of

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

issued a tropical storm watch and then a tropical storm warning for its northwestern islands. The

Bermuda Weather Service The Bermuda Weather Service is Bermuda's national meteorological service. It provides public, marine, tropical and aviation weather forecasts as well as warnings and climatolological services. The service began operations under contract from the De ...

issued a tropical storm watch for

, which was raised to a tropical storm warning as the system approached.

References

External links

* The National Hurricane Center'
advisory archive on Tropical Storm Alex
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alex 2022 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricanes in Florida Atlantic tropical storms Tropical cyclones in 2022 2022 in Cuba Hurricanes in Cuba 2022 meteorology Hurricanes in Bermuda