Dorian Gets a Second Chance Near Florida

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

August 2,2013; 11:05AM,EDT

 

 

Dorian has the potential to become a tropical storm again over waters just east of Florida this weekend.
Regardless of the system's official classification, it will continue to produce torrential downpours and gusty squalls over the Bahamas through Saturday.
Into Saturday, Dorian can also enhance showers and thunderstorms as far west as the Florida Peninsula, despite a wedge of dry air west of the center.

Residents and travelers in these areas should be prepared for disruptive blinding downpours, as well as incidents of urban flooding.
The intensity and extent of these conditions will depend on how organized the system becomes.
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Bathers and boaters should exercise caution from Miami Beach to the Outer Banks, eastward through the northern Bahamas this weekend, due to the potential for building seas and surf.
Since there is a chance that Dorian may reorganize into a tropical storm, cruise interests will want to monitor the situation.
Dorian showed signs of life Thursday night and was attempting to develop a circulation over the Florida Straits. However, the bulk of the showers and thunderstorms was located on the eastern half of the system.

Dorian first became a tropical storm on Wed., July 24, 2013. The system was downgraded by the National Hurricane Center on Sat., July 27, 2013 and has been classified as a tropical wave or tropical rainstorm since then. In order for the system to be a tropical storm, it must have sustained winds of 39 mph or greater and a complete circular rotation about a defined center.

Dorian appears as a swirl of thunderstorms over the Bahamas and along the East coast of Florida Friday afternoon, Aug. 2, 2013. Image from NASA GOES Project Science.
The system may interact somewhat with an old front to the north, giving thunderstorm activity from northeastern Florida to the Carolina beaches a boost at some point into the weekend.
That front is likely to scoop up Dorian and guide it northeastward. Dorian's moisture may eventually merge with that of the front in the vicinity of Bermuda early next week.
Disruptive winds at mid-levels of the atmosphere will continue to limit the strength of Dorian. However, the system will have marginally warm waters over the Gulf Stream to work with.
In the Bahamas, Freeport was experiencing drenching rain and breezy conditions Friday midday. During the overnight hours a gusty squall affected Nassau.
During the latest edition of AccuWeather Live, AccuWeather Meteorologist Kristen Connolly talked to Consumer News Director Wendy Perrin of Condé Nast Traveler.