Subtropical Storm vs Tropical Storm

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Nicole began making waves as a subtropical storm. It’s a term that left many of us scratching our heads, wondering how that is different from a tropical storm?

Subtropical storms and tropical storms may have similar names, but they also have many differences.

But what exactly is a subtropical storm, and how is it different from the more common tropical storm?

The United States National Hurricane Center describes a subtropical storm as “a non-frontal low pressure system that has characteristics of both tropical and extratropical cyclones.”

Put simply, it’s a meteorological mashup, or a hybrid storm.

A subtropical storm is also generally more disorganized than a tropical system and has more cold air in its core.

It also has a large, cloud-free center of circulation, with very heavy thunderstorms in a band at least 100 miles from the center. This results in a much wider-reaching, impactful storm.

While subtropical storms aren’t common during the hurricane season, the same can’t be said for tropical storms.

Here’s what we know:

Tropical storms are the most traditional systems that are often thought of during hurricane season.

They form mainly in the summer and fall and form over warm oceans by using energy exclusively from the warm ocean water.

Tropical storms have a closed circulation and center of circulation, and its peak winds are always near this center.

And while they have their differences, tropical systems can morph into subtropical systems and subtropical systems can turn into tropical systems.