Hurricane Gaston Likely; Disturbance Aims for Florida

TAMPA BAY, FL — As forecasters at the National Hurricane Center brace for Tropical Storm Gaston to become the season’s next hurricane, another disturbance is on a path that may bring it to Florida’s shore.

Tropical Storm Gaston was located about 850 nautical miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands as of Wednesday morning. With maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, the storm was moving west-northwest at 17 mph. Forecasters anticipate Gaston will become a hurricane at some point later in the day on Wednesday. The storm was last moving on a path that would bring it east of Bermuda by Monday.

While Gaston poses little threat to the United States at present, a tropical disturbance under watch might. That storm was located over the northern Leeward Islands as of Wednesday morning.

See also: Atlantic Hurricane Season 2016: The Peak is Now

“Showers and thunderstorms have become more concentrated overnight and are showing signs of organization, but the system still appears to lack a well-defined circulation,” the hurricane center wrote in its 8 a.m. Wednesday Tropical Weather Outlook report.

At present, environmental conditions are only marginally favorable for further development. Even so, forecasters say the system could become a tropical depression “at any time during the next few days.”

The storm was last moving at 15 mph on a west-northwest path. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system again later on Wednesday.

While the ultimate path of the disturbance remains unknown, forecasters are warning people in the northwestern Bahamas and Florida to keep an eye on the system’s progress.

The disturbance has been given an 80 percent chance of further development over the next five days. Should it develop enough to earn a name, it will be called Hermine, the eighth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

While it’s too early to tell what, if any, impact the storm will ultimately have on Florida, forecasters say now is the time to prepare.

To find out more about hurricane season and storm preparation, read these related Patch stories:

• Hurricane Season 2016: Where To Find Local Information
• 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast Released
• Hurricane Season: How to Prepare
• 2016 Hurricane Names: Is Yours On the List?
• Tampa Bay 'Ripe for Disaster,' Hurricane Experts Say

To keep up with storm activity as the season develops, bookmark the National Hurricane Center’s website and keep an eye on your hometown Patch site for local information.

Images courtesy of the National Hurricane Center