Tropical Update – Cristobal No Threat, Another Wave Forms Off Africa

Once again another tropical wave rolled off of the African continent and made it's way almost to the United States. Just like Bertha a few weeks ago Tropical Storm Cristobal is making a visit to the islands and then is expected to turn north. This track will carry the system toward Bermuda and eventually out to sea.

The National  Hurricane Center lists the latest stats on Cristobal this way. The system is nearly stationary just east of San Salvador in the southeastern Bahamas. The maximum sustained winds are 50 mph.

The storm is expected to move very slowly over the next 24 hours. This will mean another day of gusty winds and heavy rains for the islands of the Bahamas. Then Cristobal is forecast to begin a more northerly track. This track should carry the storm parallel with the eastern seaboard of the United States.  Eventually forecasters say Cristobal will attain hurricane status and then move quickly off to the north and east over the next five days.

The Hurricane Center is also monitoring another tropical wave that has just rolled off the African coast in the far east Atlantic. This system is given a minimal chance of strengthening over the next 24 to 48 hours. Forecast models suggest the system will travel westward across the Atlantic along a similar track of Bertha and Cristobal.