It’s short for “investigative area”, which means forecasters are collecting data on the system and running forecast models that they post on the hurricane center’s “Tropical Outlook” page. “However, some re-strengthening is expected to begin Friday night, and Gaston could become a hurricane again on Saturday”, the NHC said.
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Further away in the Atlantic, Hurricane Gaston formed overnight, with the National Hurricane Center’s 5 a.m. advisory noting wind speeds of 75 miles per hour and a central pressure that had dipped to 988 mb.
The system’s strongest winds were below tropical storm strength but that it could strengthen as it approaches Florida and the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.
The storm that would be Hermine proved hard for forecasters to get a handle on Wednesday because of its lack of a defined center for computer forecast models to zero in on.
It is moving toward a more conducive environment where there will be no wind shear to tear it apart, very little terrain and lots of warm waters to fuel it.
The system is now bringing gale-force winds to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
“The system still lacks a closed circulation”, said National Hurricane Center Senior Hurricane Specialist Daniel Brown. “Interests in the northwestern Bahamas and Florida should monitor the progress of this disturbance since it is increasing likely that some impacts, at a minimum heavy rains and gusty winds, will occur beginning this weekend”.
Hurricane season ends on 30 November. The disturbance that moved into South Louisiana just a few short weeks, ago was not a named storm.
Earlier this week, Florida announced five new cases of Zika, which is frequently spread by mosquitoes, bringing the state’s total number of infected people to 42. There are no coastal watches or warnings associated with the storm, and it is not expected to make landfall.
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On the other hand, the system could dissipate and reach Florida only as a minor storm, or even veer away from the U.S. coastline altogether.
