Tropics Update: Two Named Storms, One Gulf Storm Possible Soon
One storm could be threatening the Gulf of Mexico by next week, while another is quickly developing off the coast of Africa, according to the National Hurricane Center.
There are five total systems on the NHC's radar right now. Two of them, Hurricane Fiona and Tropical Storm Gaston, are not a threat to the United States. One is deep into the Atlantic and headed toward the Gulf of Mexico, one is in the Atlantic, and one is just off the coast of Africa.
Invest 98L has the highest potential for becoming a tropical cyclone over the next few days. It's currently in the Caribbean and has a predicted path taking it toward the Gulf of Mexico, but it's still simply too far out to predict its exact path.
It may also be the case that the wave off the coast of Africa gets a name before this storm, according to meteorologist Ryan Maue on Twitter. That wave has developed quickly but is also currently not projected to become a threat to any part of the U.S., instead heading quickly north just off the African coast, according to charts posted by Maue.
Invest 98L, meanwhile, may be tracking further west, potentially having a bigger impact on Louisiana than previously thought. However, any such prediction is really just a guess this far out. Once the storm is firmly in the Caribbean, most models would start to show a clearer path.
KATC Meteorologist Rob Perillo notes that we could be seeing a "substantial" storm entering the Gulf early to middle of next week.
We are at the peak of the hurricane season with the Atlantic becoming exceedingly more active than it was, particularly in relation to the very quiet July and August we were seeing. While there is currently no warning for the Louisiana coast, multiple meteorologists across the Gulf coast are sounding the alarm that it's time to really start paying attention.