Four separate tropical systems are taking aim on western Florida, the Outer Banks and Hawaii this week.
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The weather system was expected to pass near the Outer Banks by late Tuesday before eventually curving out to sea, likely reaching tropical storm status overnight with sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical depression 9 had not yet strengthened into a tropical depression at the NHCs 5 p.m. advisory.
Meanwhile, a monsoon storm wave has moved off Africa that is expected to reach the outer Caribbean islands or just north of them on Sunday, but also on a track to move into waters off the Southeast. That’s about 340 miles (550 km) west of Key West, Florida, and 310 miles (495 km) west of Havana, Cuba.
An 11 a.m. update on Tuesday from the National Hurricane Center says the tropical depression could become a named storm later in the day.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. The storm is now a category 3 hurricane, with top winds of 115 miles per hour.
A chance exists that it could become a weak tropical storm later today, hitting the outer banks of North Carolina.
Over the next two days, this system is expected to begin tracking north and then northeast towards the Big Bend Coast of Florida.
“N.C. 12, our lifeline on Hatteras Island, even in a winter storm has some challenges”, Pearson said.
This NOAA GOES-East visible image of the Tropical Depression 9 shows the storm in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on August 30 at 10:45 a.m. EDT.
Dozens of cars with tags from places including Maryland, New York and OH were seen headed Tuesday morning toward a bridge to the mainland. Eastern time Tuesday, the North Carolina depression was about 70 miles south of Cape Hatteras, with winds of 35 mph.
Some beaches were all but empty during a morning of gray skies and misty rain. Near Rodanthe, a couple and their 11-year-old son had the shore to themselves for a walk. Joe and Kelley Walker of Virginia say they plan to stay through the weather and watch movies inside when it gets rainy. It was moving to the west-northwest but is expected to turn north Tuesday tonight.
In addition, the forecast cone doesn’t show the expected extent of damage or impact from any particular storm which can extend well beyond where the forecast cone is set.
“We can’t rule out that this won’t become a hurricane”, said Mark Wool of the National Weather Service.
Heavy rain will be the main threat from the storm, the hurricane center said, with total rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches possible over much of the Florida peninsula through Friday morning, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches possible.
The National Hurricane Center’s consensus track for the storm shifted it further north.
Flooding, storm surge, fierce winds and tornadoes were all threats to the region, which could begin feeling the storm late on Wednesday, Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a statement.
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Beachgoers, boat captains and business owners warily waited for the storm to wash out one of the summer’s last busy weeks.
