The tropical disturbance would be known as Hermine if upgraded to a storm. That’s when the wind shear will drop, potentially allowing the disturbance to become better organized. Tropical storm force winds are extending outward up to 115 miles from the storm’s center and the estimated minimum central pressure for this system is 992mb (29.30 inches).
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The latest report from the National Weather Service says there’s a 70 percent chance Invest 99 will develop into a tropical system in the next few days.
A weak area of low pressure located near the central Bahamas continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms mainly to the south and east of its center.
We still need to monitor Invest 99-L closely, particularly as we head through the weekend into early next week when it will move into a more favorable environment.
Named storm or not, the system has brought heavy rain to parts of the Caribbean and will continue to do so.
The hurricane is centered about 1,160 miles (1,865 kilometers) east-northeast of the Leeward Islands and is moving northwest near 17 mph (28 kph).
“However, some re-strengthening is expected to begin Friday night, and Gaston could become a hurricane again on Saturday”.
Currently, the ocean is being churned up by southwesterly winds that are expected to strengthen to 10 to 15 miles per hour Thursday afternoon, with gusts up to 20 miles per hour, said Lance Franck, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s regional forecast office in Mount Holly.
“This has the potential to be a life-threatening situation due to the heavy rain, flooding and mudslide risk in the short term”, Kottlowski said.
NOAA updated its 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook Aug. 11, calling for a higher likelihood of a near-normal or above-normal season.
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Also at 0300 GMT the Hurricane Center announced the formation of Tropical Storm Madeline, also in the Pacific – a storm that could become a hurricane and strike Hawaii.
