While not expected to have any impact on land, Tropical Storm Gaston is churning up the surf quite a bit, as it moves northwestward in the Atlantic Ocean.
Advertisement
Deputy Director of the Department of Meteorology Basil Dean said the system is producing tropical storm-force winds, though it has yet to form a closed circulation associated with tropical storms or depressions.
The National Hurricane Center said South Florida and the Florida Keys will likely see heavy rains and gusty winds over the weekend and into early next week.
According to the National Hurricane Center the tropical wave we have been watching for several days is now located between the southeastern Bahamas and the northeastern coast of Cuba.
The tropical wave identified as “Invest 99L” struggled to develop into an organized storm Friday as forecasters predict it could avoid a direct hit of Florida.
Gaston briefly became the third hurricane of 2016 on Thursday and was expected to intensify again tonight or on Saturday as it moves into an area with less wind shear and warmer water.
Moving toward the north-northwest at 17 miles per hour, Gaston is packing maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, forecasters said.
Forecasters have given the system a 30 percent chance of further development over the next two days. There’s a 60 percent or “medium” chance the formation will organize over the next five days, which is down from 80 percent on Wednesday.
No name: It’s not a tropical storm, and not even a tropical depression. It was located over the northern portion of the Gulf Friday morning.
The chances of development were only 10 percent.
Get free real-time news alerts from the Clearwater Patch.
Advertisement
Earlier this week, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director Captain Stephen Russell called on Bahamians to monitor the movement of all of the active storm systems, and to “finalise plans for the remainder of the hurricane season in order to safeguard lives and protect properties”.
