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Hurricane forecasters are eyeing other storms as Helene threatens the US

Hurricane forecasters are eyeing other storms as Helene threatens the US
Posted on | Posted on angela

Hurricane Helene isn't the only storm forecasters are watching on Thursday as the tropical Atlantic remains active.

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Hurricane Helene isn't the only storm forecasters are watching on Thursday as the tropical Atlantic remains active.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking two other systems in the Atlantic, including Tropical Storm Isaac, which could become a hurricane by Friday. Good news for the US is that the storm is heading offshore and is not expected to pose a threat to the East Coast.

Another system far out in the Atlantic is also showing signs of organizing, the hurricane center said. It is currently too early to determine whether the system will have any impact on land areas.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast on Thursday evening as a major hurricane.

Where is Tropical Storm Isaac? What is the prognosis?

As of midday Thursday, the center of Tropical Storm Isaac was well out in the Atlantic Ocean, about 820 miles east-northeast of Bermuda. Isaac is moving eastward at about 12 miles per hour and is expected to continue moving generally east to east-northeast over the open subtropical Atlantic over the next few days.

Maximum sustained winds will be around 50 mph, with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast over the next 48 hours and Isaac could become a hurricane by Friday, the hurricane center said.

Waves caused by Isaac and a strong wind from another weather system are affecting parts of Bermuda's coast and could spread to the Azores by this weekend. These waves can create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

A depression could be forming today

Elsewhere in the central Atlantic, shower and thunderstorm activity associated with a low-pressure system several hundred miles west of the Cape Verde Islands has become more organized in recent hours, the hurricane center reported Thursday morning.

Environmental conditions appear to be conducive to further development of this system and a tropical depression could form as early as Thursday while moving generally west to west-northwest at about 15 mph (24 km/h).

The system is then forecast to slow and turn northward late Friday and Saturday. If it becomes a named storm, it would likely be named Joyce.

It is currently too early to determine whether the system will have any impact on land areas.

Hurricane John hits Mexico

In the Pacific Ocean, Hurricane John continues to plague the west coast of Mexico, threatening further heavy rainfall and landslides.

John made landfall for the first time on Monday at major hurricane force, triggering floods and landslides that destroyed homes and killed at least five people. Its remnants brought heavy rains to several states home to major ports and seaside resorts before intensifying again.

The storm moved back into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday and the hurricane center is now forecasting that John will make landfall on the Mexican mainland again on Thursday.

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Average hurricane season so far?

A total of nine named tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic so far this season. Of these nine storms, five have strengthened into hurricanes. The season is about average in terms of the storms mentioned, which is a far cry from preseason forecasts of an extremely active, perhaps record-breaking season.

According to Colorado State University, a typical year sees 14 named storms, seven of which are hurricanes.

Contributors: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network; Reuters

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