2018 Tropical Storm Alberto – Tropical Cyclone Report
Panama City, Florida – 2018 was a busy Atlantic Hurricane season for Bay County, Florida, as not one but two named systems made landfall along the Bay County coastline in the same year. The 2018 Tropical Cyclone Landfall Probabilities from Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project had Bay County with a probability of 1 or More Named Storms Making Landfall in the County at 5.2% (5.8% Climatology).
Bay County, which includes the cities of Panama City, and Panama City Beach had two land-falling tropical cyclones last year, with the first being Tropical Storm Alberto on May 25th, 2018 and then Major Hurricane Michael on October 10th, 2018. WKGC Public Radio was there for both events, before, during, and after the systems moved through the area. The unofficial distance between the two landfall locations is less than 30 miles, as Alberto made landfall along the coast on the west side of Bay County near Laguna Beach, whereas Michael made landfall on the east side over Tyndall Air Force Base.
Landfall probabilities based on CSU’s Tropical Meteorology Project’s 2018 tropical cyclone forecast are presented. (link)
What is also unique about the two systems, is they both formed in the almost exact same location in NW Caribbean sea near the coast of NW Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula, only five months apart. They made landfall along the US Coastline only about 30 miles apart.
Figure #3
Figure #4
In the figure #3, this is the preliminary report of the Atlantic 2018 season. All systems are plotted and are shown by the Official National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Tracks. What is unique about the tracks, if you take a look at the figure #4 which is a close-up, you see the two systems that made landfall in Bay County. Tropical Cyclone Track #1 is Alberto, and Track #13 is Michael.
Alberto (AL012018) actually formed before the “Official” start of the Atlantic Hurricane season, in the northwestern Caribbean sea. It’s span was from May 25th – May 31st, 2018, with landfall in Laguna Beach, just west of Panama City Beach on May 28th, 2018.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami, released the report for Tropical Storm Alberto on October 18th, 2018. For many in the NW Florida region, including Panama City area, most internet and communications lines were down because of Hurricane Michael recent landfall just a week earlier.
Tropical Storm Alberto was the season’s first deadly tropical cyclone as it claimed lives in Cuba, and in North Carolina and Virginia from heavy rainfall and flooding that was caused by Alberto.
From the report released by National Hurricane Center:
“Alberto formed as a subtropical depression over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, became a subtropical storm over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, and then transformed into a tropical storm before making landfall along the coast of the Florida Panhandle. Alberto continued inland as a tropical depression well north into Michigan and produced heavy rainfall and flooding across the southern and central Appalachian Mountains, which took the lives of eight people in North Carolina and Virginia. Ten people also died in western and central Cuba due to heavy rainfall and flooding.”
The report is in PDF format.
Stay tuned to WKGC.org, as the National Hurricane Center has indicated that the Post Season Storm report for Hurricane Michael could be released in late April 2019. There was a delay this year because of the Federal Government Shutdown back in January.
