Hurricane Alex made landfall in Mexico at about 10 p.m. as a 103 mph Category 2 storm – in an area described as “sparsely populated” by the National Hurricane Center. The storm ranks at the second strongest hurricane on record to form in June, exceeded only by Hurricane Alma in 1966. It also is only the second Category 2 June storm in recorded hurricane history, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Alma formed in a similar location as Alex, but ended up striking Florida’s panhandle as a 92 mph storm. The year went on to be rather quiet, with a total of 12 named storms. Alma was the only U.S. landfall that year.
It would be fantastic if those statistics gave comfort for this hurricane season, but they don’t. The season is expected to be one of the busiest on record, partly because sea surface temperature throughout the tropical Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico are still at record, or near record, highs.
