Fiona is centered about 615 miles (990 kilometers) southeast of Bermuda and is moving west-northwest at 17 mph (30 kph).
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Forecasters differ on whether or when Gaston will become the first major hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic season.
When NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the eastern Atlantic Ocean it looked at the weakening Tropical Depression Fiona and a developing tropical low pressure area named System 99L.
Invest 99L’s projected path has it headed directly across Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba before potentially making its way to Florida. This system has a low, 20% chance to develop into a tropical cyclone as it drifts west northwestward. Currently, it is only projected to bring stormy condition to the Lesser Antilles. So given the set-up, we should be careful not to dismiss tropical waves that remain weak while crossing the Atlantic but then move into areas that might be more favorable for development (troublesome “late bloomers”).
Unlike former tropical storm Fiona, which was downgraded to a tropical depression on Sunday and continues to dissipate farther northwest in the Atlantic, Gaston is strengthening.
The storm, which according to the National Hurricane Center is better organized this morning with a defined inner core, is not forecast to impact land at this point. Many models have it moving just north of the island of Puerto Rico and possibly into The Bahamas, but no concrete determination has been made if there will be, if any, impact to the USA eastern seaboard.
It is still likely that the main activity of hurricane season is yet to come, with September usually being the most active month.
Update: As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Gaston continued to gain strength, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center reported.
Meanwhile in the Pacific, Kay has weakened to a tropical depression.
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Unfortunately, Invest 99L is now headed for the Caribbean, and it could either strengthen or fall apart in the next couple of days.
