Tropical Storm Bonnie - 2016

Tropical Storm Bonnie was a moderate, pre-season tropical cyclone that formed during the hyperactive 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. Bonnie's formation in late May marked the first occurrence of two pre-season tropical cyclones since 2012, in addition to being the third only known occurrence since 1951. The first storm, Alex, had formed in January. Having formed from a non-tropical area of low-pressure, Bonnie became Tropical Depression Two on May 22, nearly two weeks before the official start of the season on June 1. As a tropical depression, Bonnie brought heavy rain throughout the Caicos Islands and the Bahamas, eventually intensifying into Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico two days later, in which the storm reached peak intensity several hours later. Northeasterly steering currents turned Bonnie northeast, where it later made landfall in Cedar Key, Florida the following day with 50 MPH winds. Even as a relatively small system, Bonnie brought torrential rainfall and tornadoes throughout the state, causing extensive damage. Due to land interaction, Bonnie became extratropical on May 26 as it curved to the north, traveling along the eastern United States as a powerful extratropical storm that brought heavy rains and high winds to the Carolinas to New England. By May 27, Bonnie's remnants had reached Nova Scotia and made a direct hit with maximum sustained wind speeds being 45 MPH. The storm caused enormous damages, with some of the devastation compared to Juan of 2003. Bonnie would later be the first in a series of devastating tropical cyclones to hit the country during the season. Bonnie continued to weaken in following days as it was absorbed by a larger system over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.