ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Larry is expected to grow into a monster storm.
Larry, packing 85 mph winds Thursday, is forecast to grow into a Category 4 hurricane by early Sunday, with sustained winds of 140 mph over the open Atlantic.
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Larry was 875 miles west of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands, moving west at 18 mph.
The projected cone shows Larry well east of Puerto Rico early Tuesday as a Category 3 hurricane.
Computer models show it tracking near Bermuda after that, but it’s too soon to know exactly where Larry will end up.
Elsewhere, an area of low pressure has a 20% chance of tropical development over the next five days as it moves to the Yucatán Peninsula and eventually into the far western Gulf of Mexico.
Another low pressure area has formed about 300 miles east-southeast of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands. Showers and thunderstorms associated with the area show signs of organization, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some additional development could occur within the next 12-24 hours as the low moves generally westward at about 15 mph. After that time, conditions are expected to become less conducive for development.
The hurricane center is giving the area a 30% chance of development within the next two days.
Meanwhile, the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused “multiple fatalities” in Montgomery County outside Philadelphia, according to county spokesperson Kelly Cofrancisco, in addition to at least nine other fatalities in New York and New Jersey.
No additional details were immediately available about the deaths in Pennsylvania and county officials planned to hold a briefing later.
Major flooding along the Schuylkill River swamped highways, submerged cars and disrupted commuter rail service in the Philadelphia area. In a tweet, city officials predicted “historic flooding” on Thursday as river levels continue to rise.
Subway stations and tracks became so flooded in New York City that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended all service.
Videos posted online showed subway riders standing on seats in cars filled with water.
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The next named storms will be called Mindy and Nicholas.
Sept. 10 marks the peak of hurricane season, which runs until December.
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