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Alberto becomes 1st named storm of season JENNIFER KAY, Associated Press | June 10 2006 MIAMI - Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named
storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, developed Sunday from a
poorly organized tropical depression in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and
appeared likely to carry heavy rain to Florida, forecasters said. It was expected to continue growing but without developing into a hurricane. "The satellite presentation of the storm is not very impressive, so not much additional strengthening is anticipated," said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch. At 11 a.m. EDT, Alberto was centered about 400 miles west of Key West and about 445 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, forecasters said. It was moving northwest at about 9 mph but was expected to turn toward central or northern Florida, where it could make landfall early Tuesday, forecasters said. The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday, nine days after the official start of the hurricane season, in the northwest Caribbean, which can produce typically weak storms that follow a similar track this time of year, forecasters said. "They can also meander in the Gulf for awhile, and we've seen some dissipate before reaching any land areas," Pasch said. Forecasters said up to 30 inches of rain could fall over the western half of Cuba, creating a threat of flash floods and mudslides, and up to 8 inches could fall over the Florida Keys and the state's Gulf Coast. Scientists predict the 2006 season could produce up to 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes. Last year's hurricane season was the busiest and most destructive on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1,570 deaths in Louisiana alone. The season was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with records for the number of named storms (28) and hurricanes (15). Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names — beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma — and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time. This year, however, meteorologists have said the Atlantic is not as warm as it was at this time in 2005, meaning potential storms would have less of the energy needed to develop into hurricanes. Last year, the first named storm of the season was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed June 9, 2005, and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle. ---------------------------------------------------
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