Tropical Storm Karl Heads West; Julia Meanders; Ian Downgrades

CLEARWATER, FL — Tropical Storm Karl officially became the 11th named storm of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season in the overnight hours Thursday. Heading on a westward course that is expected to bring it close to Puerto Rico next week, the storm is projected to reach hurricane strength by Wednesday.

Karl was located about 700 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands as of 11 a.m. Friday. The system was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving west at 13 mph. Tropical storm-force winds were extending outward from the storm by about 230 miles. In its present location, Karl poses no immediate threat to land, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said in Friday morning’s Tropical Weather Outlook report.

Tropical Storm Karl is expected to maintain a westerly direction over the next few days, but a southwestward motion is possible Saturday night. Forecasters anticipate the storm will reach hurricane strength early next week. At present, it’s too early to tell what, if any, threat Karl may pose to Florida or the Eastern Seaboard.

As Karl made his debut as a named storm, Tropical Storm Julia continued to meander off the southeastern coast of the United States. As of late Friday morning, Julia was located about 240 miles southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving east-southeast at 7 mph. Strengthening occurred in the overnight hours, bringing Julia back up to tropical storm status.

No watches or warnings are in effect, as Tropical Storm Julia remains well offshore. Hurricane center forecasters say Julia should maintain a “slow and erratic motion offshore” of South Carolina over the next few days. Tropical storm-force winds extend outward from Julia by about 70 miles. The storm is expected to gradually weaken over the next few days.

Tropical Storm Ian was officially downgraded to "Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian" as of Friday at 11 a.m. The system was located about 795 miles east-northeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, as of 11 a.m. Friday. That storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was moving northeast at 53 mph. On its present projected course, Ian has prompted no watches or warnings, but forecasters say winds extend out by about 240 miles.

The three named storms aren’t the only ones on the hurricane center’s radar. A tropical disturbance located in the Gulf of Mexico was continuing to produce disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity Friday morning. Forecasters expect that storm will move inland over Texas Friday evening. The storm’s only been given a 10 percent chance of further development over the next 48 hours.

The fifth storm under watch is a tropical wave that’s moving off Africa’s coast. The system is expected to move west-northwest in the Atlantic. Some development is possible over the next few days, forecasters say. The storm has been given a 50 percent chance of further development over the next five days. Should this system develop enough to earn a name, it will be called Lisa.

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