Atlantic full of storms: Any for U.S. to worry about?
The tropical Atlantic ocean had four named systems on Friday morning, and two others potentially waiting in the wings.
But will any of them threaten the United States?
Of the four named storms, Post-Tropical Storm Idalia, Hurricane Franklin, Tropical Storm Jose and Tropical Depression Gert, none was a direct threat to the U.S.
Idalia has already done its damage, making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a strong Category 3 hurricane and spreading damage through Georgia and into the Carolinas.
Idalia was ruled a post-tropical storm on Thursday but could move into warmer water this weekend and become a tropical storm again on Saturday. It could move near Bermuda, and a tropical storm watch is in effect for the island.
However, Idalia is not expected to loop back and affect the U.S. as of Friday morning.
Here’s the long-range path for Idalia:
Franklin has remained well away from the U.S. but brushed by Bermuda earlier this week. Franklin had 80 mph winds on Friday morning and was expected to lose its tropical features tonight and become an extratropical storm. The forecast shows it headed northeastward and deeper into the central Atlantic.
Here’s the forecast track for Franklin:
Both Jose and Gert are in the central Atlantic, far from the U.S., and both are expected to be short-lived.
Jose got a bit stronger on Friday but is no threat to land. Here’s the track for Jose:
Gert regenerated into a tropical depression on Friday and may become a tropical storm again but is no threat to land:
But the hurricane center is also tracking two other tropical waves. Both are far away in the eastern Atlantic, but both have the potential to become tropical depressions in the coming days.
One of them, which was located just northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands on Friday, could become a depression or tropical storm (name would be Katia) later this morning but will head to the northwest and will likely not affect land.
It’s the second disturbance that will need to be watched next week by those in the Caribbean.
It hasn’t moved off the coast of Africa yet but should do so this weekend.
The hurricane center is forecasting it to head more west than northwest across the Atlantic, and it has a 50 percent probability of becoming a depression in the next week.
The hurricane center’s long-range outlook shows the system headed in the direction of the Caribbean next week.
It’s too soon to say if it could affect the U.S.
The Atlantic hurricane season is in what’s typically its busiest stretch, with the climatological peak coming on Sept. 10. The last day of the season will be Nov. 30.