WeatherFanatics: Tropical Storm Gonzalo Joins Fay in Atlantic

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Tropical Storm Gonzalo Joins Fay in Atlantic

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

October 12,2014; 9:51PM,EDT

Days after Hurricane Fay put an end to the quiet stretch in the Atlantic, another tropical storm has formed in the basin.
An organized area of low pressure has turned into Tropical Storm Gonzalo, just east of the Leeward Islands.
Heavy rain and strong winds will blast the Leeward Islands as Gonzalo tracks over them and heads towards Puerto Rico.
"Torrential rain will advance into the northern Lesser Antilles tonight into Monday," said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Andy Mussoline.

Gonzalo will bring many dangers with it as it tracks westward. "Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides will threaten the region," said Mussoline.
Gonzalo will likely reach Puerto Rico by early Tuesday morning and will bring the threat for flooding rainfall, mudslides, and power outages to the island as well.
Warm water and low wind shear will allow the system to strengthen over the next few days and Gonzalo very well could be a category 1 hurricane when it strikes Puerto Rico.
"As a precaution, residents and travelers should prepare for prolonged power outages and cutoff of basic services," added Mussoline.
High pressure over the central Atlantic will steer Gonzalo on a more northerly path by midweek, away from land. However, folks in the Bahamas will want to keep an eye on the track over the coming days in case a shift occurs.
Bermuda, recently lashed with heavy rain and strong winds from Hurricane Fay, could be at risk again late in the week.
Fay will continue to race away from Bermuda after battering the islands early Sunday morning.
Torrential rain and damaging winds battered the island as Fay passed nearby late Saturday night into Sunday morning. A wind gust to 82 mph was measured.
The worst of the rain and wind will diminish rapidly Sunday as Fay races northeastward, away from the islands.

On this animated GIF, Fay is noted in the top center of the screen. Gonzalo can be seen east of the Leeward Islands.(NOAA/Satellite)
During October, on average, areas most likely for tropical development in the Atlantic Basin tend to shift closer to the nearshore waters of North and Central America.
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The Atlantic is behind the curve for the average number of named tropical systems. The last named tropical system over the Atlantic, excluding Fay and Gonzalo, was Edouard, which lost tropical characteristics about three weeks ago, on Friday, Sept., 19, 2014. On average, there are nine named systems over the Atlantic by the middle of October.
With 18 named systems this season, the eastern Pacific is running ahead of the average. By the middle of October, the average number of named systems is 15.
Content contributed by Andy Mussoline and Jordan Root, AccuWeather.com Meteorologists

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