Subtropical Storm Alberto marks the first named storm of the season, and made its away ashore the Southern United States on Monday May 28, 2018. The storm has brought torrential rain pours to various areas throughout the Southeast, and has already claimed the lives of two journalists on duty in North Carolina.
Anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were killed after a tree fell on to their SUV. The pair worked for WYFF News 4, an NBC affiliate, and their passing was confirmed by officials and WYFF.
The event happened as a result of a storm that has inundated large areas of the Southeast region with ongoing flash flood warnings, most of which will last through Thursday of this week.
The initial landfall of the storm was made near Laguna Beach, Fla., with maximum wind conditions reaching 45 mph on land, a sharp decrease from the maximum of 65 mph measured on Sunday night. Despite this decrease, officials emphasize not lowering the guard to the storm. According to the National Weather Service, smaller tornadoes could potentially arise from the storm conditions as it moves further inland.
Beyond the potential detrimental weather effects to plague the United States, Cuba also stands to face significant flash floods and mudslides if certain conditions are met. Hurricane season does not formally begin until June 1, 2018, but Alberto marks the first name stormed of the season, and is “the longest-lived Atlantic named storm forming in May since Alice in 1953,” according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.
