Hurricane Humberto could strengthen into a ‘major hurricane’ soon as another system forms

Tropical Storm Humberto became Hurricane Humberto late Sunday night and, the National Hurricane Center says, “could become a major hurricane by Tuesday night.”

Meanwhile, the next system in September’s stormy conga line approaches from across the Atlantic Ocean.

The NHC’s 11 a.m. Monday advisory says Humberto is up to 85 mph sustained winds, a Category 1 hurricane, about 710 miles west of Bermuda and moving east northeast at 7 mph.

“This general motion with a gradual increase in forward speed is expected through early Thursday,” the advisory says. “On the forecast track, the center of Humberto is forecast to approach Bermuda Wednesday night. “Strengthening is expected during the next 48 hours, and Humberto could become a major hurricane by Tuesday night.”

Though there are no coastal watches or warnings, “swells from Humberto will increase rip current threat along the Southeastern U.S. coast.”

The further out ribbon of nasty weather goes by only “Disturbance No. 1” now, but the NHC’s Monday 8 a.m. Tropical Weather Outlook says there’s up to an 90 percent chance of Disturbance No. 1 forming into a system in five days, 60 percent in the next two days.

“Satellite data also indicate that the low has become better defined, and environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for the formation of a tropical depression during the next couple of days while the system moves slowly northwestward to west-northwestward,” the outlook says.

Another system coming toward the Texas Gulf Coast projects as having only a 10 percent chance of forming before it reaches land late Monday or Tuesday.

Original story from miamiherald