Two developing tropical systems are creating a complex and uncertain weather scenario in the central Atlantic this week, signaling a ramp-up in storm activity for a season that has so far been relatively quiet.
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring the two systems, currently designated Invest 93L and Invest 94L. “There are two tropical waves moving through the Atlantic that may develop this week,” confirmed Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert.
The pair of systems has introduced significant uncertainty into forecasts. Andrew Hazelton, an associate scientist at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, noted that the eastern system, 93L, “seems fairly likely to become a recurving hurricane similar to Gabrielle.” He added that the western system, 94L, “will take a more westerly track and could pose a threat to the East Coast, but it’s not clear how strong it will get.”
Complicating the forecast is the proximity of the two systems, which could lead to a direct or indirect interaction. Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza described the upper air pattern in the southwest Atlantic as “an utter mess,” which dramatically increases forecast uncertainty. “The whole pattern bears watching for the East Coast over the next week or so,” Lanza wrote. “Folks on the East Coast from Florida through New England should monitor the progress of these systems.”
This new activity emerges as Hurricane Gabrielle, a powerful Category 4 storm, continues its path across the central North Atlantic. The Azores Meteorological Service has issued a hurricane watch for the Portuguese islands, anticipating that tropical-storm-force winds could arrive by late Thursday or early Friday. Forecasters believe Gabrielle’s remnants may approach Portugal by early next week.
While Gabrielle poses no direct threat to the United States, it is generating significant ocean swells affecting Bermuda, Atlantic Canada, and the U.S. East Coast. The National Hurricane Center warned that these swells are producing “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.” The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, has issued advisories for a high risk of dangerous rip currents and has recommended against entering the surf.
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