The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season was a cycle of the annual tropical cyclone season in the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. The season officially began on June 1, 2006, and ended on November 30, 2006. These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most subtropical or tropical cyclogenesis occurs in the Atlantic Ocean.[1] The first storm to form in 2006 was Tropical Storm Alberto on June 10;[nb 1] the last, Hurricane Isaac, dissipated on October 2.
The season saw near average activity in terms of the overall number of cyclones.[nb 2] There were ten named storms in the Atlantic basin in 2006, of which five became hurricanes with two intensifying further into major hurricanes.[nb 3] It was the first season since the 2001 season in which no hurricanes made landfall in the United States, and the first since the 1994 season that no tropical cyclones formed during October; activity was slowed by a rapidly forming El Niño event in 2006, the presence of the Saharan Air Layer over the tropical Atlantic, and the steady presence of a robust secondary high-pressure area to the Azores High centered on Bermuda.[5]
This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included.
By convention, meteorologists use one time zone when issuing forecasts and making observations: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and also use the 24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC).[6] The National Hurricane Center uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) are: Greenwich, Cape Verde, Atlantic, Eastern, and Central.[7] In this timeline, all information is listed by UTC first, with the respective regional time zone included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (knots, miles, or kilometers), following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury.
Timeline of storms
June
Tropical Storm Alberto
June 1
The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins.[8]
June 10
1 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression One forms 120 nautical miles (140 mi; 220 km) south of the western tip of Cuba.[9]
12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 UTC) – Tropical Storm Alberto makes landfall near Adams Beach, Florida, with 45 mph (72 km/h) winds.[9][nb 4]
June 14
2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Alberto weakens into a tropical depression.[9]
8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – The remnants of Alberto become extratropical.[9]
July
July 17
0600 UTC – A previously extratropical low-pressure area becomes a tropical depression about 210 nautical miles (240 mi; 390 km) southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. However, this depression is not assigned a number operationally, or warned on, by the National Hurricane Center.[10]
1200 UTC – The tropical depression near Nantucket strengthens into a tropical storm, but is not operationally named.[10]
July 18
8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Two forms 250 nautical miles (290 mi; 460 km) east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina.[11]
1200 UTC – The unnamed tropical storm degenerates into a remnant low.[10]
^The 2006 calendar year began with an off-season system active in the basin, as the 28th and final storm of the 2005 season, Tropical Storm Zeta, persisted until early January 2006.[2]
^Hurricanes reaching Category 3 (wind speeds of 111 miles per hour (179 km/h)) or higher on the 5-level Saffir–Simpson wind speed scale are considered major hurricanes.[4]
