Sol Invictus
08-14-2009, 12:21 AM
Scott DiSavino
Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE57B2U620090813)
13 August 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Atlantic Ocean could see its first named storm of the hurricane season in a day or two as a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa gains strength, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Thursday.
The energy market is focused on the tropical wave, located about 250 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands, because it has potential for significant development as it marches across the Atlantic at 10 to 15 miles per hour during the next two weeks.
AccuWeather.com said the system could become a "strong hurricane" next week and "pose a significant threat" to the East Coast of the United States from Florida to Maine late next week.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center gave the wave a high chance -- greater than 50 percent -- of becoming a tropical depression during the next 48 hours.
The next system to reach tropical storm strength with winds of 39 to 73 mph will be named Ana.
The hurricane season is getting a late start this year. By this time last year, there were already five named storms in the Atlantic basin.
Another system, the poorly organized Tropical Depression Two, remained weak and will likely not strengthen into a tropical storm over the next five days, the NHC said.
The depression, with maximum sustained winds of just 30 mph, was located about 885 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. It was moving west at about 7 mph. On its current track it should reach a few hundred miles north of Puerto Rico early next week.
Energy traders noted the depression's track would likely put it too far north to reach the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico.
Energy traders watch for storms that could enter the Gulf of Mexico and threaten U.S. oil and natural gas platforms and refineries along the coast.
Commodity traders watch storms that could hit crops such as citrus and cotton in Florida and other states along the coast to Texas.
The NHC was also watching another tropical wave over the eastern Caribbean Sea that some forecasters said could affect the Gulf of Mexico next week.
The NHC, however, gave the Caribbean wave only a small chance -- less than 30 percent -- of developing into a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
NHC website: www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE57B2U620090813)
13 August 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Atlantic Ocean could see its first named storm of the hurricane season in a day or two as a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa gains strength, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Thursday.
The energy market is focused on the tropical wave, located about 250 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands, because it has potential for significant development as it marches across the Atlantic at 10 to 15 miles per hour during the next two weeks.
AccuWeather.com said the system could become a "strong hurricane" next week and "pose a significant threat" to the East Coast of the United States from Florida to Maine late next week.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center gave the wave a high chance -- greater than 50 percent -- of becoming a tropical depression during the next 48 hours.
The next system to reach tropical storm strength with winds of 39 to 73 mph will be named Ana.
The hurricane season is getting a late start this year. By this time last year, there were already five named storms in the Atlantic basin.
Another system, the poorly organized Tropical Depression Two, remained weak and will likely not strengthen into a tropical storm over the next five days, the NHC said.
The depression, with maximum sustained winds of just 30 mph, was located about 885 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. It was moving west at about 7 mph. On its current track it should reach a few hundred miles north of Puerto Rico early next week.
Energy traders noted the depression's track would likely put it too far north to reach the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico.
Energy traders watch for storms that could enter the Gulf of Mexico and threaten U.S. oil and natural gas platforms and refineries along the coast.
Commodity traders watch storms that could hit crops such as citrus and cotton in Florida and other states along the coast to Texas.
The NHC was also watching another tropical wave over the eastern Caribbean Sea that some forecasters said could affect the Gulf of Mexico next week.
The NHC, however, gave the Caribbean wave only a small chance -- less than 30 percent -- of developing into a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
NHC website: www.nhc.noaa.gov/