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USA Today
13 hours ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Hurricane forecasters eye 'significant tropical threat' in the Atlantic: What to know
Hurricane forecasters were eyeing two developing tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean Aug. 10 – one of which could pose an eventual risk to the United States. Hurricane forecasters were eyeing two developing tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean Aug. 10 – one of which could pose an eventual risk to the United States – while Tropical Storms Henriette and Ivo spin far from land in the Pacific Ocean. In the central Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said a tropical wave had a 20% chance of formation within the next seven days. "Development of this system should be slow to occur during the next couple of days due to surrounding dry air, but some gradual development is possible during the middle part of this week while the system moves northward over the central Atlantic," the hurricane center said. Most computer models show this system heading north in the Atlantic, away from any land areas, as seen with the yellow x in the map below. Watching for a tropical depression Of more potential concern to the United States, the hurricane center was also watching a separate tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, dubbed Invest 97L. Officials gave that an 80% chance of forming within the next seven days. (Looking for the location? It's the red x in the map above.) "This is by far the healthiest looking tropical wave we've seen off Africa this summer," said Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza on Aug. 10 in a Substack post. Meanwhile, the hurricane center warned that "environmental conditions appear conducive for further development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form by the middle to latter portion of this week while moving ... across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic." "Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds are possible today and Monday (Aug. 10 and 11) across the Cabo Verde Islands," the hurricane center said. 'First significant tropical threat of the season' University of Miami meteorologist Andy Hazelton, writing on X on the morning of Aug. 10, said there was "still a lot of uncertainty in the long term track" of this system. Some computer models said it would take a quick recurve east of Bermuda, while others said it will take a trek into the Bahamas. "Any development could bring impacts for a large swath from the Caribbean to the United States East Coast," AccuWeather warned, adding that coastal and travel interests in the Caribbean, as well as the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, are advised to monitor the situation closely, as it may pose the first significant tropical threat of the season. Lanza agreed, nothing that "folks from Florida and the Bahamas up the East Coast into Atlantic Canada and Bermuda should still be monitoring this system." The next names on the list for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season are Erin, Fernand and Gabrielle. Models for Invest 97L Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts. Henriette and Ivo spin in the Pacific While the Atlantic continues to bubble with potential activity, the Pacific has already endured an active season with nine named storms so far. This includes Tropical Storms Henriette and Ivo, which both continued to spin in the Pacific Aug. 10. Though Henriette is passing near Hawaii, little impact is expected from the storm on the island chain other than an uptick in humidity, the National Weather Service in Honolulu said. Henriette is expected to continue moving northwest away from Hawaii over the next several days. It is not expected to reach hurricane strength. Though expected to weaken to a remnant low by later Aug. 10, swells generated by Ivo will continue to affect the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula during the next day or so, the hurricane center said. "These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions." When is the peak of hurricane season? The peak of the season is Sept. 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October, according to the hurricane center. Prepare now for hurricanes Delaying potentially life-saving preparations could mean waiting until it's too late. "Get your disaster supplies while the shelves are still stocked, and get that insurance checkup early, as flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends. Contributing: John Gallas and Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tropical trouble: After Dexter, could 'Erin' and 'Fernand' be next?
As Tropical Storm Dexter races out to sea away from the United States, hurricane forecasters Aug. 4 were watching two other areas of potential concern in the Atlantic, which if they form, could be named Erin and Fernand. One, a tropical wave that's just recently moved off the coast of Africa, could develop into a named storm in the central Atlantic by later in the week, some forecast models show. The second is a developing area of low pressure much closer to home, off the Southeast U.S. coast ‒ a system that promises a dreary week of weather for hordes of beachgoers. "We are now moving into a more active period (of the) Atlantic hurricane season," said Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue in an Aug. 4 email to USA TODAY. Dexter heads out to sea "Dexter is already exiting stage right, moving east northeast around 10 to 15 mph," said Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza in an Aug. 4 newsletter post. "By the end of the week, Dexter should be post-tropical. Eventually, this will probably end up in the British Isles, either as part of another typical European storm or as a passing disturbance. Either way, it's mostly just a curiosity than anything else." WPLG-TV hurricane specialist Michael Lowry, in an email to USA TODAY, said that "Dexter, while posing no threat to land, is the opening act for the show the Atlantic's threatening to put on behind it." Out of Africa Exiting the coast of Africa late on Aug. 3 was a robust tropical wave that models suggest has a good chance of becoming a named storm (likely Erin) and possibly our first hurricane by Aug. 9 to 11 over the central Atlantic, Lowry said. "In a few days, environmental conditions are forecast to become favorable for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form by the latter portion of this week as it moves generally west-northwestward across the central tropical Atlantic," the National Hurricane Center said. Beyond Aug. 11, forecast models diverge, with the Euro curling the system out to sea and the American GFS continuing a track west-northwestward toward the U.S. East Coast, Lowry reported. "We won't have much confidence in a forecast for this one till we see if something actually develops and where," said University of Miami meteorologist Andy Hazelton in a post on X. More: A key sign of hurricane activity has flipped into high gear Soggy Southeast The National Hurricane Center has also highlighted an area of concern off the Southeast U.S. coast. The hurricane center has given the system a 30% chance of development, and models support 'something' weak developing and then moving westward, which equals more rainfall for drenched Georgia, Florida, and Carolinas, but the upper-level environment (for full tropical development) is hostile, said Maue. Later in the first week of August, we're probably going to see a weak area of low pressure develop along a remnant stationary front off the Southeast U.S. coast, Lanza said. "Unlike Dexter, this won't get whisked out to sea. Rather, it looks likely to just kind of sit and spin for a bit." If it gets a name, which seems unlikely at this point, it might be Fernand, depending on when Erin gets named. Regardless of whether it gets a name, "this may make for a somewhat dreary week along the Carolina coast," Lanza said. "Rain totals may begin to add up some in this area as well through the week." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After Tropical Storm Dexter, could 'Erin' and 'Fernand' be next? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will a brewing storm hit the East Coast? Hurricane forecasters watch the Bermuda High.
The tropics are heating up and forecasters are keeping watch on a developing tropical wave in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean, a system that the National Hurricane Center gives a 50% chance of development within the next seven days. The path this system takes, as is typical with many developing tropical systems, rests with a weather feature known as the Bermuda High, a key steering mechanism that often decides the fate of hurricanes. If the Bermuda High weakens, the storm may curve out to sea. If it stays strong, the system could track closer to the U.S. According to a Substack post by Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza, "this wave should move more to the west-northwest or northwest over the next few days as it makes an attempt to organize. The most likely scenario still takes this out to sea via a weakness in the subtropical ridge across the Atlantic." The subtropical ridge he refers to is another name for the Bermuda High. Forecast models disagree WPLG-TV hurricane specialist Michael Lowry agrees with Lanza's assessment, noting that the European weather model develops the system farther north and forecasts weaker subtropical high pressure, which allows the developing system to curl out to sea. However, he said the American GFS model homes in on the southern edge of the tropical wave and maintains stronger high-pressure (Bermuda High) steering, which keeps it on a more westward trajectory near or just north of the Caribbean islands this coming weekend. On X, University of Miami meteorologist Andy Hazelton said, "There is still a lot of uncertainty on the long-term fate of this one. (We) probably won't know for sure which solution is more likely until we see where this attempts to consolidate. It's many days away from any landmasses, thankfully, so plenty of time to watch." What is the Bermuda High? The strength of the Bermuda High will determine the track of this and many storms this season in the Atlantic. The Bermuda High, an area of high pressure in the Atlantic Ocean, sits over the Atlantic during summer and often influences hurricane tracks. Its position and strength can steer hurricanes, determining whether they hit the U.S. East Coast, curve out to sea, or impact other areas like Bermuda. According to AccuWeather, the clockwise circulation around the high-pressure system is what helps direct the path of tropical systems and can determine where they make landfall. Easterly winds to the south of the high sometimes have the ability to force tropical systems onto a westerly course that can take them from the eastern Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea or over the Gulf. High moves around haphazardly Throughout the summer, the Bermuda High can move around in a haphazard way, which makes forecasting tropical systems more of a challenge, AccuWeather said. 'During the early part of the hurricane season, this high tends to be stronger and therefore noses westward into the northern Gulf but then as we go into late July and August, the high tends to expand and contract,' explained AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Kottlowski in an online report. Later in the season, the Bermuda High tends to relax a bit and change orientation as August and September approach. "During October, the high sometimes moves farther east, allowing for storms to move much closer to the east coast of the United States, north of the Carolinas," Kottlowski said. Current storms in the Atlantic This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane forecasters eye brewing Atlantic storm and the Bermuda High
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
CenterPoint Energy is monitoring a tropical disturbance in the Northeast Gulf and ready to activate its summer storm readiness plan, if needed
Current projections show a low probability of Texas Coast impacts beyond rain Any potential impacts would occur late Friday or early Saturday Customers and public encouraged to sign-up for Power Alert Service for updates about friends, family and community locations HOUSTON, July 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy's Meteorology, Emergency Planning & Response and Electric Operations teams are monitoring a tropical disturbance moving across Florida toward the Gulf. Based on current projections, the path of the storm could come near the Texas Coast by the end of the week, but is anticipated to be primarily a rain event for the Houston area. While it's still early and there are many variables, CenterPoint is ready to take action with its summer storm readiness plan. Should the disturbance continue to organize, gain strength, and models align on its different track, CenterPoint will take further actions. "CenterPoint's meteorology team has been monitoring this disturbance as it moved toward the Florida peninsula over the weekend. And we will continue to monitor, review new models and data and leverage our suite of technology assets, so we are prepared," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Manager of Meteorology. "Right now, we are anticipating the low likelihood of an end of week potential rain event." "While it is early and weather models can change, we want our customers, communities and public to know that we have a summer storm readiness plan. We encourage everyone to keep an eye on the weather this week while CenterPoint stands ready to activate," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business. CenterPoint's summer storm readiness plan The actions CenterPoint may take to prepare and respond to storms this summer include: Mobilizing vegetation management workers: Deploying local and contract personnel to clear hazardous vegetation from power lines in the Greater Houston area ahead of storm landfall to prevent outages. Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to federal, state, county and city officials about our pre-storm activities and readiness posture. Conducting outreach to critical care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone or text. Sharing information and updates: Providing safety and preparedness information directly with customers via email, phone or text, across social media platforms and other channels to keep customers informed and prepared. Organizing additional call center staffing: Securing additional call center staff to handle a higher volume of calls during the storm and limit wait times. Actions since Hurricane Beryl: Greater Houston Resiliency InitiativeSince launching GHRI following Hurricane Beryl last summer, CenterPoint executed a historic series of critical resiliency improvements across the company's 12-county Greater Houston area service territory. The company completed the following actions: Installed or replaced more than 26,000 stronger, more storm-resilient poles built to withstand extreme winds; Undergrounded more than 400 miles of power lines to improve overall resiliency; Installed more than 5,150 additional automated reliability devices and intelligent grid switching devices to reduce the impact of outages and improve restoration times; Cleared more than 6,000 miles of higher-risk vegetation near power lines to reduce storm-related outages; Installed more than 100 weather stations across our service territory to improve situational awareness and storm preparation; Donated 21 backup generators to critical facilities across the company's 12-county service area; and Launched a new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker to provide real-time updates on outages and restoration efforts in English and Spanish. Important weather station facts and locations CenterPoint has installed over 100 weather monitoring stations ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season. The weather monitoring stations were installed in strategic locations across CenterPoint's 12-county Greater Houston area electric service territory. The devices take measurements every 2-5 minutes, including humidity levels, wind speed, temperature, and rainfall. For more information on CenterPoint's GHRI actions and improvements ahead of hurricane season, visit Sign-up for Power Alert Service to get updates about family and friendsCenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates via phone call, text or email. Customers can add up to five additional email addresses or phone numbers to allow family and friends to receive outage information. CenterPoint encourages all customers to have a plan to stay safeCenterPoint is encouraging all of its customers to prepare and have a plan to stay safe during this week's weather. Customers can get storm-related safety tips at — available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker, now available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, ADA-compliant, and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code. For the latest updates, follow CenterPoint on X and visit About CenterPoint Energy, Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit For more information, contact: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE CenterPoint Energy Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Ya Libnan
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Ya Libnan
Texas flood victims furious as local officials blame Trump's National Weather Service over failed warnings
At least 67 people – including 21 children – have been killed by the devastating floods that have been sweeping the Lone Star State (pictured: a Kerrville neighborhood submerged in water) Victims of the flash floods wrecking havoc on Central Texas are infuriated as local officials blame the National Weather Service (NWS) for failing to warn communities of the dire threat before it was too late. At least 69 people – including 21 children – have been killed by the devastating floods that have been sweeping the Lone Star State since the early hours of the Fourth of July – when rapid rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to surge more than 30 feet above its normal level. Rescue teams are frantically searching for 41 missing victims, including 11 girls and a counselor who were at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river in Kerr County, when tragedy struck. As search, rescue and recover efforts are underway – with Donald Trump signing a 'major disaster declaration' to support first responders – local officials have accused the NWS of rolling out delayed warnings, especially in the Hill Country – dubbed 'Flash Flood Alley' – in Kerr County, where the devastation has been the greatest. The federal agency issued a flood watch on Thursday at 1:18pm, estimating up to seven inches of rain on Friday morning in South Central Texas . A flash flood warning was issued at 1:14am on Friday, with a more extreme warning coming at 4:03am, urging people to immediately evacuate to high grounds as the situation became 'extremely dangerous and life-threatening.' For many victims, the issue wasn't about politics or who failed, but that no one warned them as the water rose, leaving them in the dark until it was far too late. 'This wasn't a forecasting failure,' meteorologist Matt Lanza told the Texas Tribune . 'It was a breakdown in communication.' 'The warnings were there. They just didn't get to people in time.' Further complicating matters, these warnings were issued during hours many Texans were asleep. 'The Weather Service was on the ball,' Chris Vagasky, a Wisconsin-based meteorologist told Wired . Who is to blame for the Texas flood devastation?Local officialsThe National Weather ServiceThe Trump administration (DOGE)All of the aboveNone of the above 'I really just want people to understand that the forecast office in San Antonio did a fantastic job. They got the warning out, but this was an extreme event.' But local officials have shifted the blame to the NWS, claiming the agency cost people their lives. At a Friday press conference, Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd said the amount of rain that slammed the Hill Country and Concho Valley was drastically underestimated. 'The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts,' he said. Dalton Rice, the city manager for Kerrville, Texas, agreed that communities were under prepared for the sheer amount of rainfall. The NWS is in the process of hiring 100 new employees, as nearly 600 employees have left over the last few months after the Trump administration fired probationary federal employees and offered buyouts and early retirements. By April, nearly half of NWS forecast offices had 20 percent vacancy rates. But NWS meteorologist Jason Runyen said the New Braunfels office, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and surrounding areas, had extra staff on duty during the storms. There were extra people in here that night, and that's typical in every weather service office – you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,' he said. While Texas officials point fingers at the federal government, victims are frustrated with the lack of an efficient emergency response system to circulate emergency warnings. 'What they need is some kind of external system, like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now,' Christopher Flowers, 44, said. Flowers was staying at a friends house along the Guadalupe River as the chaos erupted. When he checked the forecast in the hours before the floods surged, he was unalarmed. It was not until he woke up in the pitch black, surrounded by water, that he knew something was wrong. Bud Bolton, a resident of Blue Oak RV Park in Kerrville, told the Houston Chronicle he and others did not receive any warning before the community was destroyed. 'You have the river authorities and I know what they do,' the enraged Texan told the outlet. 'You cannot tell me it's not their f***ing job to oversee this river and monitor this river, because that's what they do. That's their job. 'Where was the notification for all these families that needed to get out of here, because it had to be rising up that way first.' Lorena Guillen, a local restaurant owner, who also lives in the RV park, said when she called her sheriff's office before 3am, she was not told to evacuate her home. 'We started seeing the cabins floating from the other RV Parks floating down the river,' she told the Houston Chronicle. 'We started seeing cars with lights on and people honking inside their cars and they were just floating away.' Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly revealed the county most devastated by the floods has no unified emergency response system to notify residents of an oncoming disaster. 'We've looked into it before … The public reeled at the cost,' he said. He also did not know what kind of alert system Camp Mystic had to try and get all 750 of its campers to safety. 'What I do know is the flood hit the camp first, and it came in the middle of the night. I don't know where the kids were,' he added. 'I don't know what kind of alarm systems they had. That will come out in time.' Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, said measures could have been taken beforehand to reduce the harm done. 'People, businesses, and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast,' he said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined Governor Greg Abbott at a Saturday press conference, vowing to update the 'ancient system' in place. 'The weather is extremely difficult to predict,' Noem said. 'But also that the National Weather Service, over the years at times, has done well and at times, we have all wanted more time and more warning and more notification.' She said the Trump Administration is working to 'fix' and 'update the technology.' 'We needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years and that is the reforms that are ongoing there.' In a Sunday morning Truth Social Post, where Trump announced he signed the emergency declaration, he wrote: 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing.' 'Our incredible US Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives.' But victims including Guillen, feel they have been left in the dust, with these efforts being no match for the extent of the destruction. 'There was too much loss – human loss and property loss,' she told the Houston Chronicle. THE DAILY MAIL
