Tropical storms move through Atlantic
Two more systems could develop
Tropical Storm Rene and Tropical Storm Paulette formed Monday afternoon breaking hurricane season records in the process.
Both are moving west through the Atlantic while the National Hurricane Center keeps its eyes on two other developing systems .
Tropical Storm Rene is the earliest ever for a hurricane season’s 17th storm by 11 days.
The record had been held when Tropical Storm Rita formed on Sept. 18, 2005. Rita would later grow into a hurricane and the Gulf Coast during the busiest hurricane season on record. Paulette in turn was the earliest 16th storm by 10 days, beating out 2005’s Phillippe, which formed on Sept. 17 and also eventually grew into a hurricane.
As of the 5 p.m. Tuesday update, Paulette is about 1,350 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands and is moving northwest at 8 mph with maximum winds that have grown overnight to 65 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105
miles.
Paulette is not predicted to pose a threat of landfall, though it could affect Bermuda. Albeit, the island nation is hundreds of miles away from the cone of uncertainty.
Tropical Storm Rene be
gan pummeling the Cabo Verde Islands with heavy showers and strong winds Monday afternoon.
Rene was located about 265 west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands moving west at 16 mph with sustained winds of 40 mph and tropical-storm-force winds extending out 45 miles, according to the 5 p.m. Tuesday update.
The Cabo Verde Islands are no longer under a tropical storm warning.
Forecasters predict Rene growing into a hurricane by
Thursday and strengthening to sustained winds of 75 mph, but turning to the north in the mid-Atlantic and no threat to land.
The NHC is also tracking two systems with varied odds of development.
First, an area of low pressure about 450 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. is producing some showers and thunderstorms and has a 30% chance of forming within the next two days and 40% chance this week.
A tropical wave is predicted to emerge off the west coast of Africa on Thursday and a tropical depression could form later this week while the system moves west across the Atlantic. It has a 20% chance of forming in the next two days, and 80% chance of forming in the next five.
The remaining names for the 2020 season are Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.