Hermine may brew in Atlantic following birth of Tropical Storm Gaston

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

August 23,2016; 11:37PM,EDT

 

 

Following the birth of Tropical Storm Gaston off the African coast, Hermine may form over the Atlantic Ocean this week, posing a threat to islands in the northern Caribbean Sea.
Tropical Depression Seven formed off the coast of Africa on Monday afternoon and strengthened to Tropical Storm Gaston on Monday evening.
Tropical Storm Gaston is shown to the west of the Cabo Verde Islands. The feature to the east of the Leeward islands, 99L, is being monitored for development.
JUMP TO: Gaston may become a hurricane over central Atlantic| Northern Caribbean to be affected by budding tropical system | Fiona diminishes over central Atlantic
Gaston may become a hurricane over central Atlantic
Conditions are favorable for rapid development of Gaston into the weekend.
"Gaston will become a hurricane and could become the first major hurricane of the season in the Atlantic Ocean," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

Indications are that Gaston would take a northwestward path toward the central Atlantic over the next week, perhaps very similar to that of Fiona.
Such a path by Gaston would not pose an immediate threat to land. However, beyond the next week there is some potential for the system to be drawn close to Bermuda.
Budding tropical system to affect northern Caribbean
A second tropical disturbance, dubbed 99L, was located a couple of hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles and could soon become Tropical Depression Eight.
This disturbance is moving on a more westerly path than Gaston, which will bring showers, thunderstorms and rough seas to the Leeward islands Tuesday night and the British and United States Virgin islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
This system, 99L, is likely to soon become Tropical Depression Eight and Tropical Storm Hermine this week.
Gusty showers and thunderstorms may continue to spread northwestward over the Bahamas and northern Caribbean islands during the balance of the week. The system could approach Florida later this weekend.
How much rain and wind occur will be dependent on how quickly 99L strengthens. Most likely this disturbance will remain relatively weak into the middle of the week due to disruptive winds and dry air in the vicinity of its path. However, even a tropical depression or tropical storm is capable of producing heavy rainfall, flash flooding, mudslides, dangerous surf and damaging wind gusts.
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From midweek on, the disruptive winds may ease, but interaction with the larger islands in the northern Caribbean, such as Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, may continue to hinder development or could cap strengthening to tropical storm status for a time.
If the path of 99L ends up north of the major islands in the Caribbean, then more significant and rapid development could occur prior to the system approaching United States' waters.
Following Gaston, the next name on the list of tropical storms in the Atlantic for this season is Hermine.
People living in, traveling to or cruising around the Caribbean islands and the southeastern coast of the U.S. should monitor the progress of 99L this week and into next week.
Fiona diminishes over central Atlantic
Fiona was losing tropical characteristics over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Bermuda on Tuesday.
However, the remnant system may continue to cause showers and thunderstorms to pulse at times southwest of Bermuda into the weekend.