At a Glance

Very few tropical storms develop after the season ends in November.When conditions are just right, storms can still form. Two such storms formed in the first half of December 2003.

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Twenty years ago this week, a pair of tropical storms brought the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season back from a more than monthlong slumber.

Just 3% of tropical storms and hurricanes annually form in the “off” season – – when waters are expected to cool, the atmosphere dries and wind shear increases across the Atlantic.

Areas of spin can occasionally find just the right spot in the Atlantic basin to defy the calendar.

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The first of the pair, , formed on December 4 after more than a month of inactivity. It made an extremely rare December landfall in the Dominican Republic where it caused flooding and crop losses.

Just a few days later, Subtropical Storm Peter formed in the east Atlantic. Its core warmed and it became on December 9th.

This was the first pair of December tropical storms to form in the basin since 1887.

Since 2003, three other tropical storms have formed in December: 2005’s Tropical Storm Zeta, 2007’s Tropical Storm Olga and an unnamed subtropical storm in 2013. Several storms have also formed through the rest of the winter months, including 2023’s . Hurricanes can form in the winter months, too.

(MORE: Atlantic Tropical Development Can Happen After Hurricane Season Ends)

The calendar doesn’t care much if weather conditions remain modestly favorable for tropical development, though. Increasingly, systems are getting recognized throughout the year.

While no storms are expected any time soon, we’ll keep watch here at The Weather Channel and let you know if anything pops up.

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