Hurricane Jose could loop back toward Florida, forecasters say
Don’t drink all the bottled water yet.
Powerful Hurricane Jose missed the Leeward Islands this weekend, but it might have a second chance to strike the Caribbean and even threaten Florida, forecasters said Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami is predicting that Jose, with 120-mph winds Sunday night, will do a loop in the Atlantic Ocean over the next few days.
If that happens, by Sept. 18 it could again be pointed at the islands all but destroyed by Hurricane Irma last week.
Here’s how hurricane forecasters put Jose’s potential unusual maneuver this morning: “The steering pattern is expected to become rather dynamic, leading to a 5-day forecast that shows Jose making a small anticyclonic loop over the open waters of the western Atlantic.’’
The prediction, however, is shaky as best as the NHC’s “cone of uncertainty” for Jose is not a cone at all — it’s a circle, suggesting the storm could go in any direction.
Most of the long-term models beyond Sept. 18 have the storm heading out to sea instead of heading west. But forecasters warn that long-term forecasts are often off by hundreds of miles.
Looping hurricanes have happened before, including Hurricane Jeanne, which in 2004 appeared to be heading out to the open Atlantic only to turn around and strike the Florida coast. It was one of four hurricanes to hit the Sunshine State that year.