ORLANDO, Fla. – A tropical system in the southwestern Atlantic is quickly organizing as chances grow for for Invest 94L to develop into Imelda in the next few days.
Meantime, Humberto strengthened into a hurricane early Friday.
AL94 - Imelda Likely by Weekend
As of the 2 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said an area of low pressure appears to be forming near eastern Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas.
Conditions are favorable for further development, and the system is highly likely (90% chance) to become a tropical depression or a named storm, which would be Imelda, over the next day or so as it tracks north to northwest across the across the central and northwestern Bahamas.
While there’s still uncertainty in the long-range track and intensity, chances are increasing for impacts to the U.S Southeast early next week.
Model consensus is leaning towards a Georgia/Carolina landfall, but Florida is not completely out of the woods just yet.
Gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and coastal hazards are all possible depending on how close the system tracks to the coastline.
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Hurricane Humberto Strengthens
Just a few hundred miles east of Invest 94L, Humberto has officially become a hurricane.
The forecast calls for the hurricane to rapidly intensify to a major hurricane this weekend as it tracks toward Bermuda.
While not an immediate threat to land, Humberto remains part of the bigger picture, as some models hint at a possible Fujiwhara interaction between Humberto and Invest 94L by early next week.
With this interaction, both storms could begin to rotate around each other, influencing the path of both storms.
This scenario is one big reason why forecast confidence isn’t as high.
What It Means for Florida
As 94L develops into what will likely be Tropical Storm Imelda, marine and coastal conditions along Florida’s east coast are expected to deteriorate as early as Sunday through Monday.
Boaters and beachgoers should prepare for rough seas, dangerous rip currents, high surf and gusty squalls, especially across the Central Florida coastline.
Even if the center of the storm stays offshore, Central Florida could see a chance for pockets of heavy rainfall or brief wind gusts, with higher chances if the system edges closer.
Stay tuned, stay alert and check back frequently for the latest official updates.