After keeping tabs for two days on a developing tropical low-pressure system located near the Cape Verde Islands, the National Hurricane Center finally named it Tropical Depression 7 at the 11 a.m. update on Wednesday. At the 5 p.m. update, the center upgraded the system to Tropical Storm Earl.
Meteorologist Shawn Rossi, at the National Weather Service in San Juan, expects Earl to pass about 670 miles northeast of St. Thomas on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane.
“But keep an eye out because there’s a cone of uncertainty,” Rossi said, meaning that the storm could wobble and come closer to the territory.
The picture is clearer for Hurricane Danielle since it’s already nearing the area. Rossi expects it to pass 650 miles northeast of St. Thomas Friday morning.
According to Rossi, the territory should get some heavier seas out of both storms.
“Mainly from the east,” Rossi said.
As of 5 p.m., Earl is centered at 14.4 degrees north latitude and 32.2 degrees west longitude. This puts it 520 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands.
Tropical storm-force winds extend outwards 60 miles to the north of Earl’s center. Forecasters expect Earl to strengthen as it makes its way across the Atlantic and become a hurricane by Friday.
The wind speed stands at 40 mph, with gusts to 50. It is moving west at 16 mph. The barometric pressure stands at 1006 millibars or 29.7 inches.
As for Hurricane Danielle, it posed no threat to the Virgin Islands since its inception as a tropical depression on Aug. 21. As of 5 p.m. Danielle is centered at 21.2 degrees north latitude and 53.1 degrees west longitude. This puts it about 685 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward 30 miles from the center, with tropical storm force winds extending out 140 miles.
The wind speed stands at 85 mph, with gusts to 105 mph. It is moving northwest at 17 mph. The barometric pressure stands at 982 millibars or 28.99 inches.
The official hurricane season runs through Nov. 30, with the busiest period coming in mid-September.
