Talking Tropics

Melissa strikes eastern Cuba as a major hurricane after ravaging western Jamaica

Melissa strikes eastern Cuba as a major hurricane after ravaging western Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa, which devastated western Jamaica as one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, briefly restrengthened between Jamaica and Cuba late Tuesday before making a second landfall shortly after 3 a.m. ET Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane about 40 miles west of Santiago de Cuba – the country’s second most populous city – in eastern Cuba.

Looking ahead to next week in the Caribbean

Looking ahead to next week in the Caribbean

A strong late-season tropical wave now moving through the central Atlantic could develop once it enters the Caribbean as upper-level winds turn increasingly conducive next week.

Atlantic ends the week on a quiet note

Atlantic ends the week on a quiet note

Since the basin reopened for business about a month ago following a bizarre 20-day drought with no active tropical systems through the traditional peak of the hurricane season, it’s managed to notch 6 of its 12 named storms and a full 60% of the season’s overall tropical activity as measured by the Accumulated Cyclone Energy or ACE.

Lorenzo limps along as the Atlantic takes a breath

Lorenzo limps along as the Atlantic takes a breath

Despite earlier forecasts showing Tropical Storm Lorenzo hanging around into the weekend, the unfriendly central Atlantic of mid October has done a number on it, and it’s no longer expected to survive the work week.

Disheveled Jerry to pass near the northern Leeward Islands today

Disheveled Jerry to pass near the northern Leeward Islands today

Despite a lopsided and disheveled appearance, Tropical Storm Jerry’s winds have gradually ticked up and it’s expected to be just shy of hurricane strength as its center curves north of the northern Leeward Islands along the northeastern edge of the Caribbean later today.

Imelda inbound for Bermuda

Imelda inbound for Bermuda

Hurricane Imelda is accelerating away from the U.S. but strengthening on a beeline to Bermuda for later today, where it’s forecast to bring strong winds to 100-plus mph, flooding rains, and powerful and destructive waves.

Imelda strengthens over the Bahamas as US threat lessens

Imelda strengthens over the Bahamas as US threat lessens

Tropical Storm Imelda formed Sunday afternoon just east of the southern tip of Andros Island in the northwestern Bahamas and continues to strengthen near Great Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas – about 200 miles east of southeast Florida – on Monday.

Imelda could form by this weekend and threaten the southeast US early next week

Imelda could form by this weekend and threaten the southeast US early next week

Humberto rapidly strengthened to a hurricane early Friday and is forecast to ramp up into a formidable major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane this weekend, but it’s the disturbance to Humberto’s west that’s expected to develop and threaten the southeast U.S. – likely as Imelda – by late weekend and early next week.

Double Trouble: Dueling disturbances head west for the weekend

Double Trouble: Dueling disturbances head west for the weekend

Two vigorous tropical disturbances – designated Invest 93L (easternmost disturbance) and Invest 94L (westernmost disturbance) – are likely to develop in the coming days and could bring impacts to land, with the westernmost system tracking through the Bahamas and near Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas for early next week.

Gabrielle clinging to life but forecast to recover this weekend

Gabrielle clinging to life but forecast to recover this weekend

Gabrielle, the 7th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed late Wednesday morning, the first named storm in the Atlantic since August 28th, breaking a remarkable 20-day stormless Atlantic streak and making it the latest first-forming September storm in over 30 years.

Depression forms, forecast to become Gabrielle later today

Depression forms, forecast to become Gabrielle later today

Invest 92L, the disturbance we’ve been following since early last week, was upgraded to the 7th tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season early Wednesday, breaking an unprecedented 20-day dry spell through what’s traditionally the busiest part of the season.

Tracking Invest 91L toward the eastern Caribbean islands for next week

Tracking Invest 91L toward the eastern Caribbean islands for next week

The tropical wave we’ve been following since last Thursday in this newsletter – designated Invest 91L by the National Hurricane Center early Thursday – is expected to become a tropical depression or named storm this weekend and could affect the easternmost islands of the Caribbean by the middle to latter part of next week.

Forecast models undecided on fate of Atlantic disturbance

Forecast models undecided on fate of Atlantic disturbance

The tropical wave that rolled off Africa Sunday – a system we’ve been following since last Thursday and discussed in detail in yesterday’s newsletter – continues to move harmlessly through the deep tropical Atlantic with only scattered, disorganized storminess.

New AI forecast model shines during Hurricane Erin

New AI forecast model shines during Hurricane Erin

Google DeepMind, a London-based AI research lab, has been in the business of machine learning-based weather forecasting for several years, but back in June announced a new experimental AI model specific to tropical storms and hurricanes that would be evaluated in real-time this season by forecasters at the National Hurricane Center.

Erin set to strengthen as forecast trends shift

Erin set to strengthen as forecast trends shift

Erin, the fifth named storm of the hurricane season, formed on Monday over the eastern Atlantic and is poised to strengthen into the first hurricane of the season by Thursday as it tracks westward.

Hurricane season heating up

Hurricane season heating up

We’ve been previewing a busy start to August in this newsletter for almost a month, describing the behind-the-scenes developments signaling an uptick in Atlantic activity, and, two weeks ago, advertising an August 3rd wake-up call for the basin.

Saharan dust largely a no-show this July

Saharan dust largely a no-show this July

Saharan dust plumes heaved through the Atlantic from the deserts of North Africa each summer – providing rich nutrients for soils of the Amazon while helping to curb early season hurricane activity – has been largely a no-show so far.

Watching the tropical waves this week

Watching the tropical waves this week

As we discussed in Friday’s newsletter, the Atlantic is beginning its pivot into the traditionally busiest 6-week stretch of the hurricane season.

Disturbance moves inland over Louisiana while tropics stay quiet

Disturbance moves inland over Louisiana while tropics stay quiet

The disturbance dubbed Invest 93L washed ashore over Louisiana on Thursday, bringing widespread rainfall of 2 to 5 inches across much of southern Louisiana, with localized totals reaching double digits in the bayous of the Atchafalaya River basin north of Morgan City in coastal south-central Louisiana.

Trying to make sense of the unspeakable Texas tragedy

Trying to make sense of the unspeakable Texas tragedy

The catastrophic flooding that ripped through parts of the Texas Hill Country along the Guadalupe River northwest of San Antonio during the predawn hours on July 4th quickly turned into an unspeakable tragedy, killing at least 82 people, including 28 children.

Andrea comes, Andrea goes

Andrea comes, Andrea goes

The low-level cloud swirl spinning harmlessly over the open waters of the high Atlantic wasn’t much to look at on Tuesday but managed to muster up enough steam for NHC to briefly classify it Tropical Storm Andrea, the first named storm of the 2025 hurricane season.

Atlantic threatens to break its silence

Atlantic threatens to break its silence

After its most sluggish start to a hurricane season since 2014, the Atlantic is threatening to break its silence with a short-lived system over the open waters of the subtropical Atlantic.

It Only Takes One: Adaptation along Florida’s Gulf Coast

It Only Takes One: Adaptation along Florida’s Gulf Coast

Any homeowner that’s been through a flood knows that once is once too many. But for Brian Martin and his family, flooding has been a way of life since moving to the waterfront neighborhood of Shores Acres along the western edge of Tampa Bay.

Saharan dust reinforcements on the way

Saharan dust reinforcements on the way

It’s been a dusty start to the 2025 hurricane season with the biggest Saharan dust outbreak of the year reaching the sands of South Florida this week from the soils of West Africa over 4,000 miles away.

Tropical system expected to form, strengthen over the Caribbean this weekend

Tropical system expected to form, strengthen over the Caribbean this weekend

A disturbance tracking south of Jamaica Wednesday morning – designated Invest 99L by the National Hurricane Center – is expected to organize into Tropical Storm Sara over the coming days and could strengthen into a powerful hurricane by this weekend as it hangs about off the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua.

Odds of late season tropical threat growing

Odds of late season tropical threat growing

A significant late-season tropical system is poised to come together later this week and could strengthen into a formidable November hurricane by this weekend or early next week as it meanders in the western Caribbean.

Hurricane season not done yet: Another storm lurking for later this week

Hurricane season not done yet: Another storm lurking for later this week

With Rafael quickly spinning down over the Gulf of Mexico this weekend – its thunderstorm activity wiped clear by a slug of dry air and hostile wind shear – we’d hope the hurricane season would finally come to its senses and move into its traditional November hibernation, but the Caribbean has other plans.

Odds increase for tropical formation this weekend or early next week

Odds increase for tropical formation this weekend or early next week

The next storm in the Atlantic is likely to spin up over the weekend or early next week out of the Central American Gyre, or CAG, the semi-permanent, sprawling area of spin that straddles the land areas separating the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea on the Atlantic side -- the same feature responsible for so many of our devastating hurricanes in 2024 -- including the likes of Milton and Helene.

Forecast models waffle on Caribbean development

Forecast models waffle on Caribbean development

Overnight computer models waffled on the outlook for a disturbance we’ve been following in the southwestern and central Caribbean, softening its development prospects and pushing back the development window into early next week.

Quiet end to October after a record-breaking start

Quiet end to October after a record-breaking start

After a banner start to October that included 3 simultaneous hurricanes (Kirk, Leslie, and Milton) during its first week – a first in our record books for the month of October – with more activity packed into one month than we see in some Augusts and Septembers (traditionally our busiest months) combined, including the strongest hurricane in almost two decades (Milton), a devastating Florida hurricane hit and a surprise hurricane (Oscar) – the smallest we’ve ever measured – last weekend, the tropics are finally simmering down to end the month.