Cooper's 2018 Atlantic hurricane season

The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season was the third and final year in a series of three active and destructive seasons. The season featured a total of 14 named storms, of which 8 became hurricanes and 4 became major hurricanes. The season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates that conventionally delimit the period in which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean. The season's first tropical storm, Alberto, formed on June 21 while the season's final system, Tropical Storm Nadine, dissipated on November 28. One of the longest-lived Atlantic hurricanes, Hurricane Kirk, also formed in 2018, and lasting 23 days became the fourth longest-lived Atlantic hurricane on record.

Tropical Storm Alberto
A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on June 15. The NHC forecasted that development of the system would be slow to occur due to moderate wind shear. However, the wave underwent a sudden burst in convection on June 20 while east of the Lesser Antilles, and the NHC designated the system as Potential Tropical Cyclone One later that day. The system showed an organized and well-defined center of circulation on June 21, and the NHC upgraded it to Tropical Storm Alberto. The storm continued to strengthen as it crossed over Martinique, and it reached peak intensity the following day shortly after passing over the island. Alberto remained well-defined, but it did not strengthen any further, and began weakening on June 23.

Alberto continued weakening over the Caribbean Sea as its forward speed increased. The NHC downgraded the storm to a tropical depression at 04:00 UTC on June 24 as it was tracking west-northwest across the Caribbean Sea. At 15:00 UTC, the NHC issued its final advisory on Alberto as it degenerated to a tropical wave. Alberto's remnants contributed to the formation of Tropical Storm Carlotta in the eastern Pacific.