page_title: Tropical Storm Colin (2010)
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Tropical Storm Colin (2010) / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Tropical Storm Colin of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. The points show the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The colour represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below. Saffir–Simpson scale Tropical depression≤38 mph≤62 km/h Category 3111–129 mph178–208 km/h Tropical storm39–73 mph63–118 km/h Category 4130–156 mph209–251 km/h Category 174–95 mph119–153 km/h Category 5≥157 mph≥252 km/h Category 296–110 mph154–177 km/h Unknown Storm type Tropical cyclone Subtropical cyclone Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance / Monsoon depression
context_page_description: Tropical Storm Colin was a tropical cyclone that brought squally weather to Bermuda and caused extensive rip currents across the East Coast of the United States in August 2010. The fourth tropical cyclone and third named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Colin developed as a tropical depression from a low-pressure area in the central Atlantic on August 2. After forming, the storm initially strengthened gradually, attaining tropical storm status early on August 3. However, due to its acceleration to the west-northwest, Colin was unable to maintain a closed circulation and subsequently degenerated into a trough later that day. The National Hurricane Center noted the possibility of regeneration over subsequent days, and by August 5, Colin had once again become a tropical cyclone. Despite moderate wind shear impacting the system, Colin reached a peak intensity of 60 mph on August 5. However, vertical wind shear prevented further intensification and eventually weakened the storm. By early on August 8, Colin had weakened to a tropical depression, and dissipated near Bermuda shortly after.
context_section_description: The origins of Tropical Storm Colin can be traced back to an elongated tropical wave that moved westward from Nigeria to Senegal on July 28. A nearly stationary trough separated from the wave as it continued westward. A larger tropical wave emerged off the west coast of Africa a few days later. A broad area of low pressure resulted from the consolidation of the two waves on August 1, when it was situated about 750 mi (1210 km) west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Over the course of the next 24 hours, shower and thunderstorm activity became increasingly consolidated with the low, but the system lacked a well-defined circulation to be considered a tropical cyclone at the time. However, on the next day, an Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) pass revealed that the circulation center had become sufficiently defined, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Four at 1200 UTC on August 2. Further organization occurred as the depression moved around the southern periphery of a strong subtropical ridge. Thunderstorm activity became increasingly defined, and it is estimated that the depression became Tropical Storm Colin at 0600 UTC on August 3 while centered 840 mi (1350 km) east of the Lesser Antilles.
  Early on August 3, Colin's forward motion increased, and the cyclone was unable to maintain a closed circulation. The tropical storm degenerated into a trough at 1800 UTC, although tropical storm-force winds persisted. As the remnants passed north of the northern Leeward Islands, a reconnaissance aircraft investigated the system on August 4, but no closed circulation was found. As the remnants approached a weakness in the subtropical ridge across the western Atlantic on August 5, its forward speed gradually slowed as well. A combination of microwave and satellite imagery during the morning hours of August 5 revealed the reformation of a closed low, and Colin's remnants regained tropical storm status at this time while located 280 mi (450 km) north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  Despite relatively unfavorable vertical wind shear impacting Colin, deep thunderstorm activity developed atop its center of circulation. Data from a reconnaissance aircraft during the afternoon hours of August 5 revealed that the system reached a peak intensity with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1005 mbar (29.68 inHg). A few computer models, namely the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) and Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting model (HWRF), predicted that Colin would briefly attain hurricane status.
   However, the surrounding moderate vertical wind shear prevented this. While turning towards the north on August 6, the cyclone entered an area increasingly unfavorable wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures, subsequently prompting the NHC to downgrade Colin to a tropical depression by 0000 UTC on August 8. Further weakening occurred over the next few hours as the cyclone's center of circulation became elongated, and Colin once again degenerated into a trough of low pressure at 1200 UTC while located approximately 100 mi (160 km) southwest of Bermuda. The remnant trough persisted until early on August 9, at which time it was situated 150 mi (240 km) northwest of the island.
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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