As of 5 a.m. EDT, the depression was centered about 155 miles (245 kilometers) west-southwest of Key West, Florida, and was moving west near 9 mph (15 kph).
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The Tropical Atlantic has become very active with 2 Tropical Depressions developing in the last day close to the Southeast Coastline, one near Florida and the other threatening North Carolina.
Storm trackers officially upgraded Imvest # 99L to Tropical Depression # 9 at 4 pm CDT Sunday.
Hurricane Gaston became the first major hurricane of 2016 Sunday, ramping up to 115 mph winds as it swirls 575 miles east of Bermuda. The depression is located about 285 miles per hour (460 kph) southeast of Cape Hatteras and is moving west at 10 miles per hour.
Its center of the storm is expected to pass offshore of the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Tuesday.
A NASA satellite image shows Hurricane Gaston in the central Atlantic Ocean.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Gaston is packing maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said, and is moving slowly north at 1 miles per hour.
If it does, it would be named Hermine, which was the name widely expected to be given to another tropical disturbance farther south near the coast of Florida.
Tropical depression nine looks as though it will track into the Gulf of Mexico and pick up steam. So if you have Labor Day weekend plans, the primary threat for rain and gusty winds along the Gulf Coast would impact the start of the weekend, with improving weather on Saturday. There is still high uncertainty both with forecast track and intensity of the storm, so expect changes and monitor the forecast with us over the next 5 days.
Depression 8 is expected to recurve but with such a small distance between its expected location and the coast landfall as a tropical system is certainly not out of the question.
A Tropical Storm Watch is now in effect from Oregon Inlet to Cape Lookout, NC. Given these expected conditions, Gaston should begin to weaken on Monday.
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Hurricane Gaston is expected to strengthen over the next couple of days, but still does not pose a threat to land. Right now, I’m leaning with the better agreement amongst the dynamical models which suggests the system will enter the Gulf of Mexico and then turn north. Areas from Biloxi east to Tampa Florida will need to stay weather alert.
