Hurricane center tracks Tropical Storm Gordon, 2 more systems
Get personalized newsletters for any city in the world with Headline, sign up here.
The remnants of what had been Hurricane Francine spread out over the Tennessee Valley on Friday, but the National Hurricane Center was still tracking newly formed Tropical Storm Gordon and two more systems that could develop. As of the hurricane center’s 11 a. m. advisory, the center of Gordon was located 990 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it moved west-northwest at 12 mph. “The storm is expected to move more to the west this weekend and Monday,” forecasters said.
“Slight strengthening is expected today before a weakening trend begins on Saturday. ” Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center. It is no threat to land. By 11 a. m.
, the hurricane center was still providing advisories for Post-Tropical Cyclone Francine, located about 80 miles north-northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas, with only winds of 15 mph moving southeast at 3 mph. The system was expected to drop another 3-6 inches with some areas getting 8 inches of rain across portions of central and northern Alabama. An additional 2-4 inches could fall in portions of northeastern Mississippi, western Tennessee, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. Flood watches are in effect for portions of the Tennessee Valley and Southeast. In the hurricane center’s 8 a.
m. tropical outlook, it was still tracking a system near the Caribbean and one off the coast of the southeastern United States. Close to the northern Leeward Islands was a small area of low pressure continuing to produce showers and thunderstorms, but it was not very organized. “Environmental conditions, including the proximity of dry air, do not favor development of this system while it moves west-northwestward at about 15 mph,” forecasters said. “Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds are possible across the northern Leeward Islands today.
” The hurricane center gave the system a 20% chance to develop in the next two to seven days. To the north in the Atlantic, the hurricane center forecasts a nontropical area of low pressure to form along a frontal boundary a few hundred miles off the southeastern U. S. coastline this weekend. “Thereafter, some subtropical or tropical development is possible during the early part of next week while the system moves generally northwestward toward the coast,” forecasters said.
The hurricane center gave it a 30% chance to develop in the next seven days. The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has produced seven systems, including four hurricanes and three tropical storms. The next names on the list are Helene and Isaac. The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.