HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – After being relatively quiet following the dissipation of Ernesto in August, the Atlantic hurricane season has exploded in recent weeks. In just two weeks, five named storms have formed in the Atlantic basin, with Hurricane Helene being the most devastating storm to date.

There are three active named storms in the Atlantic basin as of Saturday evening. Hurricane Kirk is raging in the central Atlantic as a Category 3 storm with expectations that it will gain strength. Just southeast of Kirk is Hurricane Leslie, a Category 1 hurricane that is expected to weaken over the next few days. Both storms are considered “fish storms”; too far away to disturb anyone but the fish.

The National Hurricane Center predicts newly formed Tropical Storm Milton will become a Category 3 hurricane by next week and possibly make landfall on Florida's west coast.

Even though the storm only formed on Saturday afternoon, there is growing confidence in the path it will take next week. The general consensus is that the storm will strengthen in the Gulf and make landfall in western Florida, but will generally stay well south of our region.

Why is that? This can be attributed to our fall cold front on Sunday evening which will set the tone for the week.

A high low will move to our north, bringing with it a cold front and cool, dry Canadian air. As this front moves through our region, it will help deflect impending Hurricane Milton further south and eventually push the system back into the Atlantic, now impacting the Valley as well.

The cold front and its high pressure will also usher in our first real taste of fall with high temperatures in the mid-60s, plenty of sunshine and the potential for frost on a few nights.

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