Gert — 2023

Gert formed from a tropical wave that moved off the west coast of Africa on 14 August 2023 and first became a tropical cyclone on 19 August in the tropical Atlantic. It weakened to a remnant trough on 26 August and the remnants drifted east of the Lesser Antilles for several days. The system redeveloped into a tropical cyclone north of the Leeward Islands on 31 August and persisted until it dissipated on 4 September. Overall the track was a long, looping path in the central and subtropical Atlantic, remaining well east of the U.S. and Caribbean islands. Gert did not make any landfalls. Throughout its life there were no coastal watches or warnings issued because the cyclone stayed over open water and produced no reported tropical-storm-force winds at land or ship stations. The maximum sustained winds reached 50 kt (about 58 mph) for a period on 3 September, and the estimated minimum central pressure at peak intensity was 998 mb. At peak intensity Gert was a moderate tropical storm (below hurricane strength). There were no reports of storm surge or significant rainfall impacts associated with Gert in coastal cities or counties. The NHC noted there were no land-based or ship reports of tropical-storm-force winds, and no surge observations tied to the storm were reported in the official record. No damage or casualties were reported in association with Gert. The NHC specifically recorded no reports of damage or deaths (direct or indirect) from the storm. Noteworthy aspects include Gert’s long life with two separate tropical-cyclone phases (initial formation and later redevelopment) and its close interactions with other nearby cyclones (Franklin, Jose, and Idalia). The storm’s small size and proximity to other systems made genesis, redevelopment, and track forecasts challenging; official track errors were larger than recent 5-year averages, while short-term intensity forecasts were relatively accurate.