Hurricane Fiona remains a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and is moving northward away from the Bahamas.
Fiona is expected to pass far enough to the west of Bermuda Thursday night such that the strongest winds and heaviest rainfall are forecast to miss the islands, although it is still expected to bring wind gusts of 60-80 mph and 2-4 inches of rain.
Due to the threats from rain and wind, Fiona is a 1 on the AccuWeather Real Impact & Trade Scale for Hurricanes in Bermuda.
Impacts from Fiona to Atlantic Canada are expected to be much more significant from Friday into Saturday, with 4-8 inches of rain falling in certain areas, and wind gusts of 80-100 mph for some.
This will likely lead to areas of flooding and widespread power outages that could last an extended period of time. In Atlantic Canada, Fiona is a 2 on the AccuWeather Real Impact & Trade Scale for Hurricanes due to the high risk to lives and property.
Meteorologists, meanwhile, continue to monitor a tropical rainstorm northwest of Trinidad and Tobago. This tropical rainstorm will be in a favorable environment for strengthening as it moves through the southern Caribbean.
This storm can then strengthen into a hurricane as it heads through the western Caribbean where lower shear and very warm sea-surface temperatures are in place.
There is the potential for significant impacts anywhere from Central America to Jamaica and Cuba, depending on the exact track and intensity.
Interests along the Gulf coast of the United States will also have to monitor the progress of this storm as it could enter the Gulf of Mexico next week.
In addition, Tropical Storm Gaston is churning across open waters in the north-central Atlantic. Gaston is expected to near the westernmost Azores late this week and can bring some rain and gusty winds, but impacts should be minor overall.
Gaston is anticipated to dissipate across the northern Atlantic without bringing additional impacts to land.
As far as additional development, a tropical depression could form off the west coast of Africa later this week or this weekend. It could bring rain and wind to the Cabo Verde Islands.
Local 10 News Hurricane Specialist and Storm Surge Expert Michael Lowry will have more on the tropics in his daily newsletter later Thursday morning.