DORIAN A BIT MORE ORGANIZED TONIGHT; DETAILED TROPICAL UPDATE… Hurricane Dorian has increased in organization this evening. The large eye is centered about 130 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. Hurricane force winds now extend outward up to 70 miles from the center with tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 200 miles. Hurricane warnings continue for ALL of the South Carolina and North Carolina coastline this evening. Conditions will deteriorate in coastal areas of the Carolinas in the hours ahead with hazards including hurricane force winds, storm surge, heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding, and tornadoes. The good news is Dorian is moving north at 8 mph. Forward speed is expected to increase in the days ahead. Hurricane Dorian will never directly affect south Alabama or northwest Florida. Some of the other systems in the tropics…
FERNAND MAKES LANDFALL IN NORTHEAST MEXICO; NOW A DEPRESSION… Tropical Storm Fernand made landfall earlier today in the northeastern part of Mexico about 100 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. Fernand has weakened to tropical depression status. The system will dissipate over the high terrain of Mexico over the next 12-24 hours. No issues from Fernand are expected in south Alabama and northwest Florida.
TROPICAL STORM GABRIELLE… Squarely in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and Africa, you’ll find Tropical Storm Gabrielle. The system is moving northwest at 9 mph. Maximum sustained winds are at 50 mph. Gabrielle is expected to move northwest and stay out at sea. No issues for the United States are expected because of Gabrielle. The system should completely dissipate in about a week over the far northern Atlantic Ocean.
LOW PRESSURE NEAR BERMUDA… The area of low pressure we’ve been tracking near Bermuda has passed the island commonwealth to the north at this point. There is a 50-60% chance that a tropical storm will form in this area in the days ahead. The system will not directly affect land in the next few days. No U.S. impacts from this, regardless of formal development.
TROPICAL WAVE NEAR AFRICA MOVING WESTWARD… There is also a 50-60% chance that a tropical wave emerging from the African continent will develop into a tropical storm this weekend as it passes near or south of the Cabo Verde Islands. This will be a system we need to focus on more closely as we are in the peak of hurricane season. Any lower latitude systems like this warrant watching, as there is no way to know where they will ultimately end up. Nothing to worry about at all, but something to keep our eyes on. I’ll keep you posted.
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Have a great evening!