The storm’s maximum sustained winds had increased Tuesday to 65 miles per hour (100 kph).
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The heart of hurricane season is here, and the tropics are certainly alive. Three systems of interest are moving across the open waters of the Atlantic.
Fizzling Tropical Depression Fiona and budding Tropical Storm Gaston are of little concern, but a much weaker undeveloped tropical “something” – presently referred as Invest 99 by the meteorological community – is creating quite a stir on social media.
As of 11:00 a.m. AST, Gaston was located approximately 685 miles west of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands, near latitude 13.8 north, longitude 34.6 west. Fiona is moving west-northwest at 12 miles per hour. Fiona is expected to become a remnant low in the next couple of days.
Meanwhile in the Pacific, Kay has weakened to a tropical depression.
The NHC said it estimates the chance of cyclone formation as “medium” – 50 per cent over the next 48 hours and 60 per cent over the next five days.
And the storm itself is still ragged and struggling, according to reports from Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
We are starting to enter the peak of the Atlantic Hurricane season, and right on cue we have three systems to watch.
The 2016 named storms are Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Otto, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tobias, Virginie, and Walter, according to NEMA. Of those that do strengthen into a hurricane, two to four could be a major hurricane, a Category 3 or above.
However, if Invest 99L manages to overcome these odds, dodge most of the Caribbean and become tropical storm Hermine, Florida will be on high alert for an incoming tropical storm or hurricane.
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If the storm were to make landfall in Florida as a hurricane, it would be the first such storm to do so since 2005 – ending a record-long hurricane drought that may have made many coastal residents complacent about the threat of such a storm.
