Tropical Storm Chris Gains Strength

The National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Chris has gained some strength today as it continues churning east across the Atlantic Ocean away from land.

The storm was approximately 600 miles south of Cape Race in Newfoundland, Canada as of the NHC's latest advisory, heading east at about 22 MPH. Sustained Wind speeds in the storm increased to 50 MPH.

Forecasters expecr Chris to turn north-northeast later today or tonight and to take a more northeasterly track beginning Thursday. Chris is also expected to become a post-tropical cyclone on Thursday.

Acuweather.com is calling Chris a "Zombie" Tropical Storm because ""The storm is still alive, but it should not be," AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said.

Chris is moving through a region of the Atlantic Ocean that is not typically prone to tropical storms because the water temperature in the area is in the low to mid 70s. Tropical storms and hurricanes are fed by the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Carribbean and across the tropics, and ideal water temperature for the development of tropical cyclones is 78 degrees, according to Miller.

While Chris is not expected to make landfall, forecasters are keeping an eye on another area in the Gulf of Mexico with the potential to produce another tropical storm. The Weather Channel reports that the patch of thunderstorms and disturbed weather stretching from Cuba to the waters off Florida may develop into a tropical depression by this weekend.