After watching the "Central American gyre" do its thing for a couple weeks, a named storm finally emerged from it: Tropical Storm Claudette. And it was first named inland over southeast Louisiana early Saturday morning, just south of New Orleans. It's quite rare to have the third named storm form so early in the season, but it has happened in 2020, 2016, 2012, 1959, and 1887. Yes, it seems to be happening with greater frequency lately. (Claudette is still a name from the original set of lists, first used in 1979)
Although still messy-looking on satellite and radar, it finally acquired the necessary closed surface circulation to become a tropical cyclone just as the center was coming ashore. All of the rain was displaced east of the center.
It's always important to remember "there's more to the story than the category"... as even a marginal tropical storm has produced flash flooding, spawned numerous tornadoes in Alabama and Georgia, and is already responsible for several deaths.
Now that it's inland, the hazards don't magically end. Heavy rain is expected along its track out to North Carolina in the coming days, and a tropical storm watch is already in effect for eastern North Carolina because the remnants of Claudette are expected to re-strengthen as it nears the coast. The map below shows the rainfall forecast through the next five days.
Elsewhere, the Atlantic basin is quiet, so nothing in the near future. But when the time comes, the next name on the list is Danny. And a bit of history: Danny has been in the six-year cycle since 1985... it replaced David which was retired in 1979.
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