Second Hurricane Could Join Humberto In Atlantic By Friday

MIAMI, FL — The National Hurricane Center is warning of life-threatening surf and rip current conditions from east-central Florida to North Carolina over the next couple of days as Hurricane Humberto became a major category 3 storm early Wednesday churning along the southeast U.S. coast toward Bermuda and a tropical depression in the Atlantic is forecast to become a second hurricane by Friday. Forecasts don't call for Humberto to reach the United States, but instead turn to the northeast.

"Swells will continue to affect the northwestern Bahamas and the southeastern coast of the United States from east-central Florida to North Carolina during the next couple of days, creating life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," the National Hurricane Center said at 11 p.m. Tuesday.

By Friday, forecasters expect Humberto will accelerate northeastward over the cold waters of the north Atlantic and lose strength. The latest forecasts don't predict any landfall along the East Coast.

The newly formed tropical depression was located about 1,035 miles east of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It was moving toward the west, northwest at 10 mph.

"Strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm by Wednesday morning," the National Hurricane Center said at 11 p.m. Tuesday. "The system is forecast (to) become a hurricane by the time it moves near the northern Leeward Islands.."

Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto has grown larger and stronger. A hurricane warning has been issued for Bermuda.

"Humberto is moving toward the east-northeast near 12 mph ... and this general motion with a gradual increase in forward speed is expected through early Thursday, followed by a northeastward to north-northeastward motion through Friday," the National Hurricane Center said at 2 a.m. Wednesday. "On the forecast track, the core of Humberto is expected to pass just to the northwest and north of Bermuda Wednesday night."

Humberto was packing sustained winds near 115 mph with higher gusts and was expected to continue to remain a powerful hurricane through early Thursday.

"Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles ... from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles," the National Hurricane Center said at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Hurricane conditions are likely to be felt in Bermuda by Wednesday night and continue into Thursday morning. Weather officials said that Humberto may bring periods of heavy rain to Bermuda through Thursday with accumulations of 2 to 4 inches and isolated maximum amounts near 6 inches in Bermuda.

The National Hurricane Center also said that Tropical Storm Imelda made landfall near Freeport, Texas at 2 p.m. eastern Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.

"This system is likely to produce life-threatening flash flooding along portions of the Upper Texas coast, including the Houston and Galveston areas," the National Hurricane Center said at 10 p.m. eastern on Tuesday.