Thursday, August 23, 2012

Tropical Storm Joyce (2012)

Storm Active: August 22-24

On August 19, a tropical wave, already associated with a low pressure center, emerged off of the African coast. Over the next few days, the circulation gradually became more organized, as the system assumed a general west-northwest motion on August 21. Convection decreased early on August 22, but the circulation became sufficiently defined for the cyclone to be upgraded to Tropical Depression Ten.

Throughout that day, deep convection slowly increased, but the center remained to the south of the coldest cloud tops, and the cyclone remained a tropical depression into August 23.

Late that morning, Ten gained the necessary organization to be upgraded to Tropical Storm Joyce. However, the cloud cover over the center was very brief, and shear out of the southwest quickly displaced all deep convection to the north. Though isolated areas of deep convection continued to form, they were well north of the center, and the circulation itself was losing definition.

Joyce weakened to a tropical depression later that day, and on August 24 was designated a remnant low. The remnants continued northwest, producing shower activity as they tracked over open waters. However, upper-level winds were unfavorable for regeneration, and the low soon dissipated.

Joyce, being the 10th tropical storm of the 2012 season, was named on August 23, and this is tied for the second-earliest a 10th named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic with 1995, behind only 2005's Jose, which formed on July 22 if that year.



Joyce as a minimal tropical storm on August 23. Shortly afterward, shear tore the system apart.



Track of Joyce.

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