First named tropical storm fires up in the Atlantic

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Meet Alberto

"What's in a name?" At least a couple of times each hurricane season, some forecasters, including your's truly, ask that very question.

This past Saturday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center determined correctly, that a cluster of thunderstorms near an area of low pressure off the S. Carolina Coast gained enough organization to be deemed Tropical Storm Alberto.
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Not only is Alberto small, but it's not expected to strengthen thanks to a pair of nemeses. First, Alberto sits in a reservoir of deep, dry air, depicted by the orange shadings in this water vapor satellite loop. Second, upper-level winds are forecast to increase Monday and Tuesday, providing increased wind shear which disrupts the convection near/around the center of tropical cyclones.

So, the impacts of Alberto from extreme northeast Florida to the N. Carolina Outer Banks appear to be:
•Occasional rain in bands along the coast. (MAP: Rain forecast)
•Threat of rip currents, choppy seas.
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http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/tropical-storm-alberto-impact-20120520

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT01/refresh/AL0112W5_NL_sm2+gif/084201W5_NL_sm.gif

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1. a non storm.

Weather man in our area, central Fl, said it should never had been even named!