Hurricane Humberto strengthens, but bigger potential threat is still forming

It’s well past the statistical peak of hurricane season, but we’re just now beginning to see the Atlantic basin wake up and get very active. 

Two strengthening systems are drifting through the western Atlantic Ocean, and one of them will make a play for the Carolina Coast.

Hurricane Humberto is now a major hurricane and should remain so for the next several days. The good news is that there is a high level of confidence it will get caught up between high pressure in the central Atlantic and low a low pressure trough to the north. The steering currents will pull Humberto east and take it out to sea with no direct impact the East Coast. 

Indirectly, it will cause rough surf along Atlantic beaches.

Of more concern is the less strong of the two systems – Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 – which is set to become Tropical Storm Imelda over the weekend.

This storm will move toward South Carolina and has the potential to slow down or stall completely near the coast. Current modeling indicates a very uncertain track once the storm gets to the coast, thanks to very weak steering currents. Should it stall there, the Carolinas could be lashed with heavy rain for days.

On its way to the US, it will drop heavy rain over eastern Cuba, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas this weekend. But it’s the Carolinas that appear most at risk.