More tropical trouble may be brewing for the US in Atlantic
On the heels of Debby, confidence is growing that the tropical rainstorm over the central Atlantic could rapidly organize into a tropical storm and then a hurricane, and it may have eyes for the East Coast of the United States, AccuWeather meteorologists advise.
"The tropical rainstorm in question pushed off the coast of Africa during the middle of last week and was located over the south-central tropical Atlantic on Friday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Glenny said. "Prior to Sunday, this system is unlikely to organize into a tropical storm, but as it approaches the Leeward Islands early this week, it could be a vastly different story."
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"There is not really much wind shear throughout the path of the tropical rainstorm into the early week, and dry air seems to be fading fast," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said.
Steering breezes will guide the feature on a more northwesterly and northerly path than predecessors so far this season, especially later in the life cycle.
The next name on the list of tropical storms for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is Ernesto.
The westward extension of the Bermuda/Azores high pressure area over the middle of the Atlantic is likely to help determine the tropical feature's future path this week.
In the short-term, the risk through the early week will be centered on the Leeward Islands with drenching rain, gusty winds and rough surf being the main concerns.
As the tropical rainstorm traverses the northern Caribbean, it is expected to take aim on Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos during the middle and end of the week, bringing similar impacts to those expected in the Leeward Islands.
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At this time, the rainstorm is expected to take a more northerly track, and remain to the east of the U.S. and head towards Bermuda. Even as the storm tracks away from the U.S., impacts will still be felt along the Atlantic coast in the form of building surf, rough seas and strong rip currents.
The strengthening tropical rainstorm could take a more northwest path late this week, toward the U.S., which could bring damaging and dangerous conditions to part of the Atlantic coast as early as next weekend.
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The rainstorm doesn't represent a threat to the Gulf Coast at this point, but if it were to remain a tropical rainstorm for longer, it might have a better chance of making a more westward trip.
AccuWeather meteorologists insist that a super-charged Atlantic hurricane season will unfold this year, with a large number of tropical storms and hurricanes. Some storms are likely to undergo rapid intensification due largely to the ongoing higher-than-historical average water temperatures.
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