Hurricane Ida is making a run at Category 5 status in the remaining few hours before landfall along the southeastern Louisiana coastline. The latest observations of Ida include a well-defined eye, max sustained winds at 150 mph after rapid intensification of this system in the past 24 hours, and a northwest movement towards the Louisiana coastline. After landfall later today, Hurricane Ida will remain quite strong as it moves inland and it will gradually turn to the north in the nighttime hours and then take a turn to the northeast by mid-week. The post-landfall track will bring significant rainfall to the Tennessee Valley and then to the Mid-Atlantic region/Northeast US in the Wednesday/Thursday time period.
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The Atlantic Basin remains active today with three systems on the tropical scene, but the one just to the south of western Cuba is of most concern at this time. There are strong signs that this system now officially known as “Tropical Storm Ida” will undergo rapid intensification this weekend once it gets past Cuba and out over the open warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The expected rapid intensification is likely to result in a “major” hurricane classification (i.e., category 3 or higher) of Ida before it makes landfall likely in the northern Gulf coastal region late Sunday or Sunday night. After landfall, the remnants of Ida will turn north initially and then to the northeast and tropical storm conditions could exist all the way into the Tennessee Valley. This post-landfall track would bring significant rainfall to the Tennessee Valley early next week – the last thing they need after recent flooding rains – and perhaps to the Mid-Atlantic region around mid-week.
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The Atlantic Basin remains quite active today with three systems on the tropical scene, but the one over the west-central Caribbean Sea is of most concern at this time. There are strong signs that this system now officially known as “Tropical Depression 9” can reach hurricane status by the early part of the weekend over the Gulf of Mexico and then perhaps close in on the western/central Gulf coast by later Sunday or Monday. There is even the chance that TD 9 undergoes rapid intensification and strengthens enough in coming days to reach “major” hurricane status (i.e., category 3 or higher).
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The Atlantic Basin remains quite active as we push towards the end of August with three systems on the tropical scene, but the one over the Caribbean Sea is of most concern at this time. There are strong signs that this system now officially known as “Invest 99L” can reach hurricane status in coming days and perhaps threaten the Texas and/or Louisiana coastline by the early part of next week.
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Tropical Storm Henri remains a threat to Long Island and New England where it could make a direct impact as a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane late in the upcoming weekend. This system will become influenced by expanding high pressure over southeastern Canada and a developing upper-level trough over the Appalachian Mountains causing it to make a sharp right turn in the near-term. In addition, more favorable environmental conditions will allow for intensification of Henri this weekend from the current tropical storm status to hurricane levels and it could very well be closing in on Long Island and southern New England as a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane by late in the day on Sunday. All residents from the northern Mid-Atlantic to northern New England should closely monitor the movement of Tropical Storm Henri.
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The remnants of Tropical Storm “Fred” continue to push to the northeast today and are now centered over the southwestern part of Pennsylvania. Its tropical moisture field has spread throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and is enhancing the chance for downpours later today and tonight and also the chance for severe thunderstorm activity which may include isolated tornadoes.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm “Henri” continues to spin out over the Atlantic Ocean and is likely to intensify into hurricane status in the near-term. There are some “red flags” in the developing weather pattern that suggest “Henri” should be very closely monitored in coming days; especially, for coastal residents of the Northeast US.
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Tropical Storm Fred came ashore late yesterday in western Florida and the remains are now pushing north-northeastward across the northwestern part of Georgia. Despite its recent weakening, this system continues to produce some significant rainfall and strong thunderstorm activity in the Southeast US and Tennessee Valley and it will likely do so tomorrow and tomorrow night in the Mid-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Grace is moving westward through the Caribbean Sea and is likely to reach the Yucatan Peninsula region of Mexico by Thursday – probably as a hurricane. Finally, Tropical Storm Henri has formed over the Atlantic and is currently meandering not too far from the island of Bermuda. This system is quite worrisome in that it may come awfully close to the US east coast before hopefully turning away…needs to be very closely monitored.
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Tropical Storm “Fred” is strengthening as it closes in on the Panhandle region of Florida and it could even reach hurricane status before making landfall this evening. “Fred” will weaken quickly after landfall in terms of its wind field; however, its tropical moisture field will push northward over the few days resulting in significant rainfall from the Gulf coast to Tennessee Valley to the Mid-Atlantic. “Grace” has weakened (temporarily) to tropical depression status and is likely to take a track much farther to the south of “Fred” as it becomes increasingly influenced by building high pressure over the western Atlantic. A third system over the Atlantic will tend to meander not too far from Bermuda and it could very well become Tropical Storm “Henri” in the near-term.
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The Mid-Atlantic region remains quite hot and humid today and there is a chance for scattered strong-to-severe thunderstorm activity from later in the day through early tonight. Today will be the last day of the oppressive heat and humidity in the Mid-Atlantic as a cool frontal system will usher in more comfortable air for the weekend; especially, by the time Sunday rolls around when afternoon temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 80’s and humidity will be much more bearable.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Basin remains quite active with two systems to monitor. The first system that was at one time classified as Tropical Storm “Fred” is now a “depression”, but it is likely to regain storm status again in the near future. This system will push towards the Florida Keys by early tomorrow then likely to a position over the warm waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. After that, “Fred” will head towards the far western part of Florida’s Panhandle and it could intensify further before making a landfall sometime late Monday. A second system that is now over the central Atlantic is very likely to become Tropical Storm “Grace” and it is likely to take a more southerly track to its predecessor “Fred” and possibly end up in the southern/western Gulf of Mexico.
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The Atlantic Basin tropical scene has become quite active with one named storm (“Fred”) just south of the Dominican Republic on the eastern side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and a second system intensifying in the eastern Atlantic. Tropical Storm “Fred” is likely headed to the Florida Keys by the early part of the weekend and then to the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico where sea surface temperatures are generally warmer-than-normal. TS “Fred” could then reach the Panhandle region of western Florida by early next week and the remains may then push northward through the eastern states later in the week. Meanwhile, the second Atlantic tropical system could end up taking a similar track as “Fred” – perhaps impacting the same northern part of the Caribbean.
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