A compact tropical cyclone developed from a tropical wave in the central subtropical Atlantic. The system organized into a well-defined low on 28 August 2021 and became a tropical depression by 1800 UTC that day about 700 nautical miles east of Bermuda. It strengthened into Tropical Storm Julian early on 29 August and accelerated northeastward ahead of an approaching trough and cold front. Julian completed its transition to an extratropical cyclone by 1200 UTC 30 August about 750 nautical miles east-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, and was absorbed by a larger extratropical low by 31 August.
Julian did not make any landfalls and produced no land-based watches or warnings. The storm remained over open ocean for its entire life as a tropical cyclone and during its transition to an extratropical system.
The storm’s peak sustained wind was estimated at 50 knots (about 58 mph) from 1800 UTC 29 August through its extratropical transition on 30 August. The estimated minimum central pressure at peak intensity was 993 mb. Julian was a relatively small and short-lived tropical storm and never reached hurricane strength.
Observed storm surge and rainfall impacts on land were not reported in the NHC record. There was one ship report of strong winds: the oil tanker Phoenix Jamnagar reported 36-kt winds south of the center at 0600 UTC 30 August. No storm surge heights or rainfall totals for named cities or counties were noted in the report.
There were no reported casualties or damage associated with Julian. The most affected area was the open North Atlantic where the storm existed; no direct or indirect deaths were reported.
Noteworthy items: forecasters identified the parent wave many days in advance, but the exact timing of formation was hard to predict because the disturbance struggled with dry mid-level air and intermittent organization. NHC track and intensity forecast errors for Julian were slightly larger than recent 5-year means for some lead times, though intensity forecasts at 24 hours were better than the recent mean.
Paid members can generate summaries tailored to the counties of their choice. The Julian TCR covers impacts across many counties and states — a Pinellas County resident doesn't need the Asheville detail, and a Buncombe County resident doesn't need the Tampa surge data.
Upgrade for county-specific summariesSummary above produced from the National Hurricane Center's official post-storm Tropical Cyclone Report. Read the full report for casualty lists, damage estimates by area, forecast critique, and detailed meteorological discussion:
📄 Read NHC's full report on Julian → (opens at nhc.noaa.gov)| Time (UTC) | Status | Lat | Lon | Winds (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-08-28 12:00 | LO | 32.10 | -51.70 | 25 | 1010 | |
| 2021-08-28 18:00 | TD | 32.20 | -51.00 | 30 | 1008 | |
| 2021-08-29 00:00 | TD | 32.60 | -50.10 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2021-08-29 06:00 | TS | 33.50 | -49.30 | 35 | 1003 | |
| 2021-08-29 12:00 | TS | 34.50 | -47.80 | 45 | 997 | |
| 2021-08-29 18:00 | TS | 35.90 | -45.70 | 50 | 995 | |
| 2021-08-30 00:00 | TS | 37.10 | -42.60 | 50 | 994 | |
| 2021-08-30 06:00 | TS | 38.90 | -40.00 | 50 | 993 | |
| 2021-08-30 12:00 | EX | 40.60 | -37.90 | 50 | 993 | |
| 2021-08-30 18:00 | EX | 42.50 | -36.00 | 45 | 995 | |
| 2021-08-31 00:00 | EX | 44.80 | -35.10 | 45 | 997 | |
| 2021-08-31 06:00 | EX | 47.50 | -34.50 | 45 | 999 | |
| 2021-08-31 12:00 | EX | 50.50 | -35.50 | 45 | 1000 |
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 best-track database (nhc.noaa.gov/data). Data is in the public domain. Best-track positions and intensities are post-storm reanalysis estimates and may differ from real-time advisories.