A “disturbance” thousands of miles away in the eastern Atlantic has forecasters nervously wondering if they are seeing Hurricane Milton’s successor take shape.
The slow start to the 2024 hurricane season was brutally upended when first Helene and then Milton tore through Florida and the Carolinas, leaving more than 270 dead.
Another is possible before the relative safety of December is reached, and scientists are trying to estimate whether a weather system brewing just a few hundred miles off the coast of Africa will become Hurricane Nadine.
Currently known as ‘Invest 94L’, it is in the Atlantic hurricane incubator west of the Cape Verde Islands and is beginning to approach.
“We don’t know if this will be a factor yet, it’s a long way off and generally this time of year we don’t look that far out into the Atlantic for development,” said Orelon Sidney of the Weather Channel. “But hey, it’s this year.”
Meteorologists, including the Weather Channel’s Orelon Sidney, have identified ‘Invest 94L’ in the eastern Atlantic as a possible successor to Hurricane Milton.
Early models show the baby storm in the Atlantic hurricane nursery could become anything between a wet firecracker and a monster Category Four.
“The system is forecast to move generally west to west-southwest across the tropical Atlantic, where environmental conditions could become more favorable for gradual development in the central tropical Atlantic toward the middle or end of this week,” the Center wrote. Hurricane National in its latest update.
Sidney said forecasters typically “look at developments much closer to home” when October rolls around.
And a disturbance closer to home is also worrying climate watchers as it gains strength in the Caribbean.
“Not only are the waters very warm in this area (up to 80 degrees at depth), but the ocean heat content in the western Caribbean is at record levels for any time of year,” said Alex DaSilva, lead forecaster. AccuWeather Hurricane Report.
Hurricanes Beryl, Debby and Helene were influenced by the anomalously warm water in this region so far this season, while Hurricanes Francine and Milton formed and rapidly strengthened in a similar environment over the southern Gulf of Mexico.
“All of these storms eventually hit the United States.”
None of the unrest is currently expected to affect the United States, but that could change quickly.
“The system is forecast to move generally west to west-southwest across the tropical Atlantic, where environmental conditions could become more favorable for gradual development in the central tropical Atlantic toward the middle or end of this week,” the Center wrote. Hurricane National in its latest update.
Helene and Milton brought the number of major Category 3 or higher hurricanes that have emerged off U.S. coasts this season to four, one more than the average of three with more than a month left in the season.
“One possibility would take the system west toward Central America and southern Mexico, and the other, unfortunately, is toward Florida,” DaSilva said.
“It is typically very difficult for a tropical system to continue northwestward and enter Texas this late in the season due to the prevailing westerly breezes in that area.”
This will be little consolation to the thousands of victims still coming to terms with the impact of Helene and Milton.
Scenes of tornado damage associated with Hurricane Milton in several communities north of Fort Myers, Florida
A drone image shows the Tropicana Field dome that opened due to Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10, 2024.
Tracking forecasts show immense variability in the likely course of the infant storm.
The latter, which was recorded as a terrifying Category 5 hurricane hours before making landfall in Florida on Wednesday night, did not turn out to be the once-in-a-century storm many feared, but insured losses from the hurricane are in the range of 30 billion to 60 billion dollars.
At least 16 people have been confirmed dead since the storm fizzled out in the Atlantic Ocean after devastating coastal communities and leaving more than three million customers without power.
The federal response to the latest disaster has become a key issue in the presidential election, with former President Donald Trump warning Sunday that it could become his rival’s “October surprise.”
“I think we were a little lucky in the sense that it was bad, but it wasn’t as bad as they thought. And a lot of governors have done a good job.” Trump told Fox News on Sunday. “But the response from the White House has been absolutely terrible.”
The former president has claimed that President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris are not responding adequately because the hardest-hit areas are all red or red-leaning states.
“I think the other issue that’s really big is how bad things have gone in North Carolina, parts of Georgia, when you look at what’s happened and Florida, we all see what’s going on there,” he told the Fox host. , María Bartiromo.
President Joe Biden spoke Sunday following a briefing from federal, state and local officials in Florida during a tour of areas affected by Hurricane Milton.
The remains of a building after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in Lakewood Park, near Fort Pierce, in St. Lucie County, Florida, USA, October 10, 2024.
Trump and his allies have claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is only giving $750 to families who need help, and have raised fears among residents that if they accept the help the government could take possession of their property. homes.
The White House has repeatedly said this is disinformation and has called on Trump to publicly correct himself.
While campaigning during a church service at Koinonia Christian Center in Greenville, North Carolina, on Sunday, the vice president highlighted the information Trump is spreading about the storm response.
“Unfortunately, frankly, the motives are quite transparent: to gain some advantage for themselves, to play politics with other people’s pain,” he alleged.