ORLANDO, Fla – Things have been crowded in the Atlantic lately and the storms currently spinning will soon have company.
Two tropical waves, Invest 99L near Africa and Invest 90L in the Bay of Campeche, will be fighting for the last name of the 2020 hurricane season, Wilfred.
The disturbance in the Bay of Campeche appears to have the greater chance to become Wilfred. After all of the names are exhausted, the Greek alphabet will be used.
The only other time Greek letters have been used was in 2005. Twenty-eight storms developed that year, with Zeta being the last named storm.
An unnamed storm was later found to have developed in the post-season analysis by the National Hurricane Center, but it remained unnamed, which is why 27 names were used for 28 storms.
Storms and Steering
Teddy:
Teddy will become a monster over the next several days, currently forecast to become a major hurricane. On its current path, Teddy will impact Bermuda.
High pressure will help Teddy make the turn north, keeping it away from Florida. Teddy could pose a threat to New England or Canada later in its life as it merges with a trough of low pressure containing Sally’s remnants.
That trough could pull Teddy back toward land, similar to what happened with Hurricane Sandy.
Invest 90L:
This will likely be the next named system, possibly as early as Thursday.
An area of disturbed weather in the southern Gulf of Mexico is getting better organized and will likely get a name soon. There is some uncertainty as to where this storm goes. This storm, likely getting the name Wilfred, will be stuck in between steering systems and may meander in the Gulf for a while.
If it stays in no man’s land, it will have better shot to move further east as the next system moves in from the west.
We’ll watch this one closely.
Sally:
Sally will continue to bring heavy rain to inland areas as the weakening storm moves slowly to the northeast. Sally made landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama, just before 6 a.m. Wednesday. More than 2 feet of rain has fallen in parts of Alabama.
Vicky:
Vicky will continue to weaken and will not be a threat to land.
Disturbance Near Africa:
This disturbance has the potential to develop, but wind shear will limit its overall strength and if the storm does develop, it likely won’t last long. This should not be a threat to the U.S.
Paulette:
Paulette has become post-tropical and is no longer a threat. There is a chance for regeneration down the road, but it is of no concern to the U.S.
Paulette jumped over Laura as the highest ACE, accumulated cyclone energy, generating storm of the season to date. ACE is derived from both intensity and duration of the storm. The current season ACE is 77.1, blowing by the average ACE to date of 63.5
Overall, there continues to be no immediate threat to Florida, even with the Atlantic filled up with storms. We’ll hopefully keep playing dodgeball in Central Florida, but while we do, it’s always a good idea to be ready as we continue to move through peak season.
Tropical Depression 22:
Tropical Depression 22 formed over the southwestern part of the Gulf of Mexico. Meteorologists said it is expected to move slowly over the western gulf into early next week.