Subtropical Storm Nicole

Subtropical Storm Nicole

Subtropical storm (SSHWS/NWS)
Satellite image of Subtropical Storm Nicole
Formed	October 10, 2004
Dissipated	October 11, 2004
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 50 mph (85 km/h)
Lowest pressure	986 mbar (hPa); 29.12 inHg
Fatalities	None
Areas affected	Bermuda, Atlantic Canada, New England
Part of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season

Subtropical Storm Nicole was the first subtropical storm to receive a name using the standard hurricane name list that did not become a tropical cyclone. The fourteenth tropical or subtropical storm of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, Nicole developed on October 10 near Bermuda from the interaction of an upper level trough and a cold front. The storm turned to the northeast, and after attempting to transition into a tropical cyclone, it dissipated as it was absorbed into a larger extratropical storm.

Nicole dropped moderate amounts of rainfall in Bermuda, while rough seas caused problems for cruise lines. In Canada, the remnants of the storm combined with an extratropical storm produced strong winds and rainfall, damaging trees and power lines. The remnant storm also produced gusty winds across New England, while swells from the storm provided welcome surf conditions along the East Coast of the United States.

An upper-level trough and a decaying cold front persisted across the western Atlantic Ocean in early October. The interaction between the two led to the formation of an area of low pressure on October 8 to the southwest of Bermuda. The system lacked a single well-defined circulation, though it possessed gale-force winds as it moved northwestward. The system gradually became better organized, and though there were no signs of tropical development on October 9, computer models suggested a subtropical storm could form. On October 10, a well-defined low-level circulation developed as a band of clouds formed in the northern portion of the system. Shortly thereafter, curved bands developed in the northwestern portion of the center, while the strongest winds associated with the storm occurred more than 115 miles (185 km) from the center. Based on the broad wind field and the cloud signature, it is estimated the system organized into Subtropical Storm Nicole on October 10 while located about 140 miles (225 km) southwest of Bermuda.