Hurricane

Tropical Storm Imelda formed Sunday afternoon just east of the southern tip of Andros Island in the northwestern Bahamas and continues to strengthen near Great Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas – about 200 miles east of southeast Florida – on Monday.

Authorities in the Bahamas closed a majority of schools on Monday following mandatory evacuations for some islands in the archipelago as Tropical Storm Imelda was expected to drop heavy rain and unleash flooding in the northern Caribbean.

Tropical Storm Imelda formed Sunday and is expected to become a hurricane on a forecast track curving away from the U.S. East Coast early this week. The storm dumped rain and churned up seas near the Bahamas and Cuba and even briefly prompted a tropical storm watch on a stretch of Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Tropical Depression Nine was set to become Tropical Storm Imelda, and Hurricane Humberto strengthened into a Category 5. Both are tracked to turn northbound and away from South Florida.

Tropical Depression Nine formed late Saturday morning over the southeastern Bahamas and is forecast to steadily strengthen into Hurricane Imelda by early next week as it approaches the coast of South Carolina.

Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, forecast to become Tropical Storm Imelda, was on track to remain east of South Florida this weekend.

Humberto rapidly strengthened to a hurricane early Friday and is forecast to ramp up into a formidable major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane this weekend, but it’s the disturbance to Humberto’s west that’s expected to develop and threaten the southeast U.S. – likely as Imelda – by late weekend and early next week.

The peak of hurricane season has arrived with two systems in the Atlantic we are closely monitoring, so make sure to rescan all of the TVs in your home if you use an antenna and download our latest apps for the latest updates.

Humberto – the 8th named storm of the hurricane season – formed Monday afternoon over the central Atlantic and is forecast to become a major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane by Monday as it turns east of the U.S.

Two vigorous tropical disturbances – designated Invest 93L (easternmost disturbance) and Invest 94L (westernmost disturbance) – are likely to develop in the coming days and could bring impacts to land, with the westernmost system tracking through the Bahamas and near Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas for early next week.

As we previewed in this newsletter two weeks ago, the Atlantic is finally heating up as we round out September.

Gabrielle is strengthening Monday, a day after becoming a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Bermuda.

Gabrielle became a hurricane Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Bermuda.