Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Humberto expected to form on way to state’s east coast
Hurricane-ravaged Bahamas warned of potential damage
Still reeling from the monstrous and historic Hurricane Dorian, the northwestern Bahamas was under a tropical storm warning into Thursday night as forecasters warned that a potential tropical storm was headed toward Florida’s east coast.
The tropical disturbance expected to move over the Bahamas likely will become a tropical depression or even a tropical storm in the next day or so, the National Hurricane Center said at 8 p.m. Thursday.
If it does become a tropical storm, it would be
named Humberto.
After the Bahamas, the storm appears to be on a path toward the Central Florida coast, though forecast models varied widely
and could change. The areas most likely to experience tropical storm force winds are from Palm Beach County on to the north. There is still a 10% to 30%
chance additional parts of South Florida would be affected.
South Florida could see tropical storm force winds as early as Friday evening, with conditions improving by Saturday night.
A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected in a given area over a certain time frame — in this case, 36
hours.
The system was about 235 miles southeast of Great Abaco Island at 8 p.m. and 310 miles southeast of Freeport on Grand Bahama, with maximum sustained winds at 30 mph with higher gusts.
The tropical warning, issued by the Bahamian government, was in effect for the islands of the northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Berry islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, as well as New Providence.
South Florida will almost certainly see heavy rains and gusty winds this weekend but forecasters were also urging residents to be prepared for Tropical Storm Humberto.
“The system is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 2 to 4 inches through Sunday over the Bahamas and along the east coast of Florida north of West Palm Beach,” the National Hurricane Center said. “Isolated maximum amounts of 7 inches are possible in the northwest and central Bahamas.”
The hurricane center sent its hurricane hunter aircraft into the system to gather more information.
Tropical storms are a type of tropical cyclone.
A tropical cyclone is a powerful storm that rotates around a distinct eye.
Tropical depressions, with winds measuring up to 38 mph, are the least powerful type of tropical cyclone.
Tropical storms, which pack winds of between 39 mph and 73 mph, are the next most powerful. Hurricanes are after that, with winds of at least 74 mph.
But tropical storms, even though they aren’t hurricanes, can still cause significant damage and flooding. When the core of Tropical Storm Isaac moved over the Florida Keys in August 2012, the rain bands from that storm caused historic flooding in Palm Beach County with rain amounts exceeding 15 inches in some areas and an apparent tornado striking in Lake Worth.
Given that South Florida just had a close brush with the monster that was Hurricane Dorian, it might be tempting to not take a tropical storm seriously, but the National Weather Service warned against that.
“It’s something that people shouldn’t take it lightly,” said Robert Molleda, a weather service forecaster. “Putting it in perspective, we’re not talking about a repeat of Dorian but … people shouldn’t let their guard down.”
Another disturbance far out in the Atlantic has a 40 percent chance of developing into a tropical system over the next five days, but is too far away to predict what impacts it will have in the Caribbean or U.S.