If the storm is still approaching Florida later in the week, the local emergency management team will be monitoring it through the weekend as it approaches.
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The hurricane center cautioned, however, that it’s too early to make long-range predictions. Plus after months of having the sun beam its might directly over them, the tropical waters are warm, ripe, and ready to provide fuel for storms.
As Tropical Storm Gaston nears hurricane status in the Atlantic Ocean, a trailing system has an 80 percent chance of becoming Tropical Storm Hermine by the weekend, meteorologists said – and that should bring bigger trouble. Gaston’s projected path is to eventually take it northward. If 99-L decides to be farther south, this scenario could have it run into the mountainous terrain of Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola and heavily limit any development.
No warnings have been issued for anywhere on the eastern seaboard.
That is when the “Cape Verde” tropical storms tend to develop, growing from waves bounding of the African west coast.
While Gaston poses little threat to the United States at present, a tropical disturbance under watch might.
Even so, forecasters say the system could become a tropical depression “at any time during the next few days”. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system again later on Wednesday.
Residents from the islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea to the Bahamas should continue to monitor the progress of this system. Gusty winds, heavy rains and possible flash floods and mudslides are expected in those areas.
Sunday: Partly cloudy, hot and humid, 20 percent chance of isolated afternoon thunderstorms.
Gaston’s maximum sustained winds had increased Tuesday to 65 miles per hour.
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After a couple of dry days around the Arklatex, expect the rain to return to much of the area both Thursday and Friday. Hurricane forecasters warned that squally winds that may reach tropical storm force can be expected over the northern Leeward Islands and parts of the US and British Virgin Islands Wednesday afternoon.
