Tropical Depression Julia ‘Meanders’ as Tropical Storm Ian Accelerates

CLEARWATER, FL — While the Tampa Bay area is enjoying a relatively normal week in weather considering summertime heat and afternoon storms, meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center are keeping busy monitoring five separate systems. Tropical Storm Ian is still going strong while Tropical Depressions Twelve and Julia are largely rainmakers at present.

As of Thursday morning, Tropical Storm Ian was located about 880 miles east-northeast of Bermuda. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving northeast at 24 mph, which is an accelerated pace from last reports. On its present projected path, Ian is expected to continue moving into the north Atlantic Ocean, posing no threat to the continental United States.

Meanwhile Tropical Depression Julia continues to spin off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. That storm was located about 125 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, as of Thursday at 11 a.m. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving east at 8 mph.

Julia is “expected to meander off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina for the next few days,” forecasters wrote in the 11 a.m. Thursday Tropical Weather Outlook report. Even so, her position offshore has promoted no warnings or watches. She’s expected to dump less than an inch of rain across coastal parts of northeastern South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday.

An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter craft is set to investigate the meandering Julia Thursday afternoon.

Tropical Depression Twelve was located about 440 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands as of 11 a.m. Thursday. That storm has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving west at 13 mph. While little change in strength is anticipated over the next 48 hours, forecasters say conditions could change heading into the early part of next week. The system is expected to be upgraded to a tropical storm on Monday.

On its current projected path, the system is expected to be east of Puerto Rico by Tuesday with tropical storm strength. Whether the system will pose a threat to Florida is too soon to tell.

Forecasters are also keeping a close watch on a tropical wave that is expected to move off Africa’s coast sometime on Friday. The system has been given a 50 percent chance of developing over the next five days. The hurricane center said conditions should be conducive for development after it moves offshore, but they may become less so by early next week.

Should Tropical Depression Twelve or the tropical wave rolling off Africa strengthen enough to earn names they would be called Karl and Lisa.

The last system under watch is a broad low pressure area in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. That system is expected to move toward Texas over the next few days. Conditions are not ripe for further development, forecasters say. The storm’s only been given a 10 percent chance of developing more over the next 48 hours.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season peaks each year between mid-August and mid-October. While the season technically runs June 1 through Nov. 30, many of the major storms on record have occurred during the traditional eight-week peak.

To find out more about hurricane season and storm preparation in the Tampa Bay area, read these related Patch stories:

• Atlantic Hurricane Season 2016's Peak is Now
• 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