As we head into hurricane season, you may be wondering about the term "subtropical" storm and how it differs from a typical "tropical" storm. Here are some of the differences between a subtropical and tropical storm.
The major difference is that subtropical storms typically do not become as intense as tropical storms or hurricanes. Also different is the environment in which the storms were born.
The core of a subtropical storm is warmer at the surface and cooler at the cloud tops, versus a tropical storm, where the core is warm air from the surface to the cloud tops.
A subtropical storm tends to have the center completely exposed with the convection (or storms) well away from the center of circulation. A tropical system will have the storms more focused around the center.
Interestingly, subtropical storms often cover a much larger area than the more compact tropical storms and hurricanes.
But the important thing to remember is both can threaten lives and property in the same way.
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