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Rare April tropical storm forms in the Atlantic

Posted at 3:15 PM, Apr 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-21 08:58:37-04

Hurricane season may not officially begin until June 1, but that did not stop Tropical Storm Arlene from forming in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The storm officially attained tropical storm status at 5 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, with top sustained winds of 45 MPH. By 11 p.m. Eastern, the storm was up to 50 MPH top winds.

The storm is located in the North Atlantic, far away from the US coast. 

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The storm is supposed to drift to the west before dissipating on Friday. 

Arlene is the first April tropical storm to form since Ana formed on April 20, 2003. 

This is the third straight year that a tropical system has formed before the official start of the season.