What was the first named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season? Tropical Storm Arthur. Arthur formed on May 16, 2020, more than two weeks before the season's official June 1 start. It developed from a stalled frontal boundary over the Straits of Florida and became a tropical depression north of the Bahamas.
The National Hurricane Center named Arthur on May 17 after reconnaissance found tropical-storm-force winds. The storm moved northeast near the southeastern United States, strengthening over the warm Gulf Stream before reaching peak winds of 60 mph on May 19. It later became extratropical and dissipated near Bermuda on May 21.
Arthur was the first of 30 named storms in an exceptionally active season. The next storm, Bertha, formed on May 27. A common mix-up is assuming the first storm must form after June 1, but that date marks the conventional start of the Atlantic season, not a restriction on tropical cyclone formation. Arthur was also the sixth consecutive preseason Atlantic storm at the time.