Hurricane Zeta Will Bring Strong Wind, Heavy Rain To Northern Gulf Coast On Wednesday

Tropical Storm Zeta will restrengthen into a hurricane before making landfall in eastern Louisiana on Wednesday. The storm made its first landfall as a hurricane near Cancun on Monday. Forecasters expect Zeta to restrengthen as it accelerates toward the northern Gulf Coast over the next day. Strong winds, a dangerous storm surge, flash flooding from heavy rain, and tornadoes are possible as the storm races inland.

The tropical storm had a tremendous pinwheel appearance on satellite imagery this evening. The system's outer bands and upper-level outflow covered most of the Gulf of Mexico. It's one of the most stunning satellite images we've gotten from a storm in a while.

A closer look at the core of the system shows a tropical storm that's on the cusp of strengthening. Favorable conditions over the southern Gulf of Mexico, combined with sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures, should allow the storm to regain hurricane strength as it picks up speed and moves toward eastern Louisiana.

There's a chance that the storm could ramp up rather quickly tonight, especially if that eyewall can wrap around and close itself off. Given the expected increase in its forward speed, it'll be difficult for the storm to shed much of the strength it manages to build up as it nears landfall.

Eastern Louisiana has been in the cone of uncertainty quite a few times this year. Laura and Delta went west. Marco weakened. Sally went east. But those were different storms in different situations. Zeta looks like it's on a direct approach to eastern Louisiana, with hurricane conditions likely in and around New Orleans at the height of the storm. Don't let your guard down because all the other storms missed you. This one probably won't miss.

Once the storm makes landfall, Zeta will get swept up by a cold front as the system races over the southeast. The system could actually start to restrengthen a bit as it moves inland toward the Mid-Atlantic as a result of extratropical transition. The system will start gathering some of its energy from the jet stream on Thursday, which could lead to an increased threat for damaging winds for folks well inland from the point of landfall. 

Wind

The greatest potential for wind damage will occur at and around the point of landfall. Hurricane force winds can easily blow down trees and power lines. Folks who experience the strongest winds should prepare for power outages that last at least a couple of days.

Even though the storm will weaken to a tropical storm as it moves inland, don't think that you're in the clear when it comes to strong winds. Tropical storm watches extend into northern Georgia in anticipation of a thump of strong winds as Zeta and its remnants race through the area. Somewhat similar to what we saw with Isaias a couple of months ago, the storm will begin feeding some of its energy from the jet stream like an extratropical cyclone. This will allow Zeta to produce strong winds over a wide area even when it's hundreds of miles inland.

If you're anywhere near the forecast path of the storm—whether you're on the Gulf or in central North Carolina—take stock of your supplies and make sure you've got enough food, water, batteries, and other items necessary to make it through a power outage.

Also, try to avoid rooms where large trees or tree limbs loom overhead outside. Trees falling into structures are responsible for lots of injuries during storms like this.

Storm Surge

Source: NHC

A life-threatening storm surge could occur along the coast when Zeta makes landfall. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for a potential maximum storm surge of 5 to 8 feet above ground level near and to the right of the point of landfall. Based on the current forecast, this maximum surge is possible along the coast in Southern Mississippi and Dauphin Island, Alabama. A storm surge could extend as far east as Florida's Big Bend. 

Folks who live at the coast don't really need to be told this, but storm surge is nothing to mess around with. The water can rise quickly and cut off means of escape before folks who stayed behind realize that they should've evacuated. If you're told to evacuate, it's wise to heed the word. Once the storm is raging, you're on your own until it's over.

Rain

Heavy rain will track along Zeta's path inland. The Weather Prediction Center expects up to 5 inches of rain in southern Mississippi. The threat for flooding rains will follow the path of the storm all the way through the Mid-Atlantic, where several inches of rain are possible by the end of the week.

This much rain in such a short period of time will lead to flash flooding issues in vulnerable areas.

Flash flooding is the leading cause of fatalities during landfalling tropical cyclones in the United States. It only takes a few inches of moving water to lift up a vehicle and carry it downstream. It's impossible to judge the depth of the water over a roadway until it's too late, and sometimes the road isn't even there anymore underneath the floodwaters.

If you have to go out during the storm, make sure you know several ways to get around so you an avoid flooded areas.

It's worth noting that not all of the rainfall on this map is from Zeta. Much of the rain west of the Mississippi River is from the storm system producing a major ice storm in Oklahoma and Texas, while the bulk of the rain over the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast is from Zeta merging with that storm system by the end of the week.

Tornadoes

As always, there's a threat for tornadoes as the hurricane makes landfall. The greatest threat lies to the right of the storm's forward motion, which puts the greatest tornado risk in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida on Wednesday evening.

Tropical tornadoes occur quickly with reduced lead time. Even though these tornadoes tend to be weaker than we'd see in a springtime outbreak, even the smallest, weakest tornado is a life-threatening hazard if you're in its path. Make sure you've got a way to receive tornado warnings the moment they're issued by activating the Wireless Emergency Alerts feature on your smartphone.

[Satellite Images: NOAA]

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Yet Another Tropical Storm Could Hit The Gulf Coast This Week

Tropical Storm Zeta could make landfall on the northern Gulf Coast by the middle of this week, becoming the unprecedented 11th named storm to make landfall in the United States in a single hurricane season. The storm could be at or near hurricane strength by the time it makes landfall, further damaging a region that's seen more than its share of storms this season.

Zeta formed from a vigorous tropical wave in the western Caribbean. Models did a good job sniffing out the general pattern that was conducive to this tropical storm's development. This is exactly where you'd expect to see tropical development in October and November—the waters here are still warm and the atmosphere is able to bounce back from cold fronts pushing off North America.

Source: NOAA

The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center shows Zeta gradually gathering strength as it approaches the Yucatan Peninsula. Forecasters expect the system to reach hurricane strength before it makes landfall near Cancun on Monday evening. Once the storm crosses the Yucatan, it should emerge into the Gulf of Mexico and steadily make its way toward the northern Gulf Coast.

Don't focus too much on exactly where the forecast shows the center of the storm making landfall. While the precise track of the storm will determine who sees the worst conditions, the effects of wind, heavy rain, and storm surge can extend far away from the center of the storm. Based on the current forecast, Zeta could make landfall in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama during the day on Wednesday. 

The NHC's forecast discussion on Sunday afternoon notes "significant uncertainty" in the storm's intensity forecast as it approaches U.S. landfall this week.

It's late in the season and there's only so much fuel for a tropical cyclone to tap into as it moves out of the Caribbean. Recent cold fronts and residual cool water churned up by Hurricane Delta a few weeks ago leave Zeta entering a Gulf of Mexico that isn't favorable for the explosive intensification we saw several times during the heat of the summer. 

Once Tropical Storm Zeta moves inland, the system's remnants will bring heavy rain (and the potential for tornadoes) to the southeast and Mid-Atlantic before a cold front swoops down and brings cooler, drier conditions for the weekend.

Zeta is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. This is the 27th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. We're one storm away from tying the all-time record of 28 storms that developed during the 2005 hurricane season.

There's still the potential that we could see additional storms after Zeta. The next name on the list is Eta, followed by Theta and Iota.

The letter Zeta is as deep into the Greek alphabet as we got in 2005. The "missing" 28th storm was an unnamed subtropical storm that developed on October 4, 2005. Forecasters missed that system at the time, catching it after the fact during the post-season analysis and adding it to the year's total.

If the NHC had caught and issued advisories on the unnamed storm contemporaneously, every storm that formed after Hurricane Stan would've been pushed back one letter, and we would've reached the letter Eta. (Hurricane Wilma was that close to being Hurricane Alpha!)

If Zeta makes landfall as predicted, it'll be the 11th named storm to hit the United States this year. Previously, the most named storms to make landfall in the United States was 9 storms during the 1916 hurricane season. Hurricane Sally tied as the 9th storm, and Hurricane Delta broke the record as the 10th.

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Hurricane Delta On Track To Make Landfall In Already-Damaged Southwestern Louisiana

Hurricane Delta restrengthened into a major hurricane on Thursday as it steadily made its way toward the Louisiana coast. The hurricane will make landfall Friday afternoon in southwestern Louisiana, very close to where Hurricane Laura hit back in August. Destructive winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and flooding rains are likely along Delta's path into Louisiana. The effects of this hurricane will be exacerbated by lingering damage and structures weakened by the previous hurricane.

This has been a tenacious storm since the day it formed. Delta managed to strengthen into a powerful and tiny category four hurricane before crashing into Cancun on Wednesday morning. The storm weakened over land, but warm water and favorable environmental conditions over the southern Gulf of Mexico helped Delta recombobulate and begin to strengthen again. The hurricane even developed a clear eye for a little while on Wednesday evening.

Source: National Hurricane Center

The 10:00 PM CDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center bumped Delta's winds up to 120 MPH, making it a major hurricane again. The storm's winds will likely tick down a bit as it approaches landfall in southwestern Louisiana on Friday afternoon, but this is a powerful storm that'll do quite a bit of damage to an area still trying to recover from Hurricane Laura.

Communities around the point of landfall will experience the strongest winds and the greatest storm surge, but make no mistake—this is a large hurricane and it'll have wide-reaching impacts in the region.

As expected, Hurricane Delta's wind field is larger than it was Wednesday. The storm's growth will expose a larger region to damaging winds and a life-threatening storm surge that could measure as high as 11 feet above ground level near the point of landfall. The National Hurricane Center's latest advisory measured Delta's tropical storm force windfield at about 320 miles wide, with hurricane force winds stretching 80 miles across the eye.

Widespread power outages—numbering in the hundreds of thousands—are likely across Louisiana as Delta makes landfall and pushes inland. Trees weakened by Hurricane Laura will struggle to withstand Hurricane Delta, endangering homes that sit beneath large trees and tree limbs.

Source: Weather Prediction Center

Flash flooding is also a major threat along Delta's path inland. Communities from southern Louisiana to southern Arkansas could see more than five inches of rain through Saturday. This much rain falling this quickly will lead to flash flooding in vulnerable areas.

Even though I'm confident that you already know this if you're reading my blog (thank you, by the way!), it feels like a requirement to stick this in here, so here goes..

The leading cause of death during landfalling tropical cyclones in the U.S. is flash flooding from excessive rain. It only takes a small amount of water to lift up a vehicle and carry it downstream. It's impossible to tell how deep the water is before it's too late, and sometimes the floodwater can obscure that the road itself is washed away. It's not worth it. Find another route or stay put if you can.

[Satellite Image: NOAA]

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Hurricane Delta Will Likely Hit Louisiana On Friday As A Large And Dangerous Storm

Hurricane Delta will make landfall along the Louisiana coast on Friday. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center indicates Delta could reach land as a large and dangerous hurricane, bringing the threat for a life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds, and flash flooding from heavy rainfall. Any landfalling hurricane is bad enough, but this is a sensitive stretch of coastline and the area is still reeling from the damage left by Hurricane Laura back in August.

Delta isn't nearly as strong as it was this time yesterday. The hurricane strengthened into a (tiny!) category four storm with maximum winds of 145 MPH in the far western Caribbean on Tuesday. A combination of wind shear and changes in the storm's internal structure forced it to weaken before making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Source: NOAA

The system spent a couple of hours this morning over the Yucatan before emerging over the southern Gulf of Mexico. Delta has a pretty healthy appearance on satellite imagery this afternoon—the hurricane's well-build structure will allow the storm to take advantage of favorable conditions around it and begin restrengthening.

The National Hurricane Center's 4:00 PM CDT advisory placed Hurricane Delta's maximum sustained winds at 85 MPH, and the forecast calls for the storm to restrengthen into a major hurricane by Thursday afternoon. Unlike the previous four hurricanes that hit the U.S. this year, Delta should start to weaken a bit as it approaches land as a result of increased wind shear and cooler waters.

The system will still be a large and powerful hurricane by the time it makes landfall, so don't take much solace in the word "weaken" here. A larger storm will mean that the effects of storm surge and damaging winds will affect a larger area as the hurricane makes landfall and pushes inland.

Storm Surge

Source: NHC

Hurricane Delta's long-fetch approach into the northern Gulf Coast, combined with the storm's strong winds, will allow a life-threatening storm surge to build up along the coastline as it makes landfall.

Based on current forecasts, the worst surge will push into Vermillion Bay and the surrounding area. The flat, marshy terrain of Louisiana's coastline makes the region exceptionally vulnerable to a storm surge. A significant storm surge here could push many miles inland from the coastline.

The greatest push of water will occur in the right-front quadrant of the storm, which will be the eastern side of the eyewall. A slight westward or eastward nudge in the storm's track will cause the storm surge "bullseye" to follow in kind.

Since Delta's wind field is growing, a dangerous storm surge won't be confined to areas right around the point of landfall. Portions of southwestern Louisiana hard-hit by Laura's storm surge could see another surge deep enough to inundate the first floor of structures along the coast. A storm surge as much as 4 feet above ground level could occur as far east as Mobile Bay.

Winds

The growing size of the storm will expose a large area to damaging winds as Delta makes landfall and pushes inland. It's likely that hundreds of thousands of households across Louisiana and Mississippi will lose power at some point during the storm. The hardest-hit areas could be out for a week or longer depending on the extent of the damage.

Prepare for power outages even if you're hundreds of miles inland from the expected point of landfall. Make sure you have enough ready-to-eat food, water, batteries, and USB recharging packs to last at least a couple of days without power.

It's a good idea to spend Wednesday night and Thursday securing loose items outside—tables, chairs, grills—so they don't become projectiles in strong winds. Take care of any limbs or trees looming over your property. If you can't do that, avoid rooms where falling limbs or trees could crash through the roofs or walls. A significant number of injuries and deaths in recent storms were the result of trees crashing into homes.

Flooding

Delta and its remnants will produce widespread heavy rainfall across the southeastern United States through this weekend. The Weather Prediction Center's latest forecast, pictured above, shows the potential for 5+ inches of rain to follow the track of the system inland. This much rain in a short period of time will lead to flash flooding issues, especially in areas that are normally prone to flooding.

You probably know the deal by now—it takes a surprisingly small amount of water to lift up a vehicle and carry it downstream. It's impossible to tell how much water covers a roadway until it's too late. Sometimes floodwaters can completely obscure that the road is washed away. Make sure you've got alternate routes to get around if you have to go out during the heavy rain.

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Extremely Powerful Hurricane Delta Could Hit The Gulf Coast As A Major Hurricane On Friday

Hurricane Delta grew into an extremely powerful category four hurricane on Tuesday as it took full advantage of near-perfect conditions over the western Caribbean Sea. The system is on track to make a direct hit on Cancun, potentially devastating the resort town with storm surge, destructive winds, and flooding rain. Delta will continue into the Gulf of Mexico and threaten the northern Gulf Coast as a major hurricane by Friday.

Source: NOAA

Hurricane Delta's maximum sustained winds came in at an incredible 145 MPH as of the 7:00 PM CDT advisory, representing an enormous strengthening in just a short period of time.

Environmental conditions and sea surface temperatures will allow Delta to maintain this strength—or possibly grow a little stronger still—through Thursday as long as the system can maintain its composure. The hurricane has a healthy core with plenty of cloud-to-surface lightning detected by weather satellite, which is a sign of intense thunderstorm activity in the eyewall. 

Delta is a very small hurricane right now. The system has a pinhole eye about 5 miles wide, and the eye is obscured by cirrus clouds produced by the storm's outflow. The radius of hurricane force winds only extends about 30 miles from the center of the storm. 

Hurricane Delta's small size is also the reason it doesn't look all that imposing on satellite imagery right now. Don't let its compactness and non-traditional appearance fool you—this is one powerful hurricane. 

Source: NOAA/NESDIS

It appears that Delta experienced the fastest intensification of any storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, strengthening from a tropical depression to a category four hurricane in about 30 hours.

Small storms are highly volatile. Compact hurricanes can be both impervious and susceptible to the environments around them, allowing these tiny systems to ramp up in a hurry—as we saw here with Delta—and fall apart just as quickly when they encounter some resistance, as we saw with Hurricane Danny in 2015.

It's unlikely that Hurricane Delta will encounter much resistance over the next couple of days.

The only obstacle in Delta's path right now is the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, where Cancun and its surrounding communities are bracing for one of their worst hurricanes in living memory. It doesn't look like the core of the storm will stay over land very long, which will allow a stronger storm to emerge into the southern Gulf of Mexico. Conditions here will allow the storm to make one last run-up in strength and organization before it makes its final approach to the northern Gulf Coast.

The system is likely going to grow in size over the next couple of days, which will make its hazards even more of a problem for the Gulf Coast when it arrives at the end of the week. Delta will inevitably undergo eyewall replacement cycles, which serve to temporarily weaken the storm's winds and redirect its energy into growing the storm's size.

The hurricane will continue moving northwestward until it reaches the southern Gulf. A trough over the central United States will weaken a ridge of high pressure over the southeastern United States, causing the storm to turn northeast and begin tracking into the Gulf Coast. Cooler water and increased wind shear should force the storm to start weakening on Friday, but it'll be a race against time to see how much it can weaken before it runs into the coast.

Right now, forecasters expect the storm to make landfall as a major hurricane in central Louisiana at some point on Friday evening. However, a small change in the storm's track could lead to big changes in where the system will make landfall—the cone of uncertainty, the historical margin of error in previous track forecasts, stretches from Galveston to Biloxi.

That's a sensitive and scary path for a major hurricane to take for any number of reasons. 

Southwestern Louisiana is still reeling from Hurricane Laura back at the end of August. Laura was the strongest hurricane on record to strike this stretch of coastline. The storm heavily damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the area and left remaining residents in the dark for up to a month. A storm surge nearly 20 feet deep devastated coastal communities just south and east of Lake Charles. 

The heart of Acadiana—south-central Louisiana, centered around Lafayette—is just as vulnerable to a significant storm surge as southwestern Louisiana. Calling the coastline here a "coastline" is just a formality. The whole stretch of coast from Lake Charles to the mouth of the Mississippi River is miles and miles of swamps and bayous. When a storm surge rolls over this marshy land, there's not really any actual land there to stop the surge. This can allow a major storm surge to push dozens of miles inland, affecting communities far away from the shoreline. 

Hurricane Delta will also make a much more direct approach to the coast than Hurricane Laura did. Hurricanes that approach the coast on a straight path can produce a more significant storm surge than those that hit at an angle or make landfall after a sharp turn. Delta will spend about 24 hours moving along a straight path toward the coast, giving the storm time to build up a long fetch that could exacerbate the threat of a storm surge in communities along its path. 

There's also the threat to New Orleans, which is within Hurricane Delta's cone of uncertainty. The city is infamously vulnerable to storm surge from approaching hurricanes. Even a storm that misses a direct landfall here could produce major flooding in and around the city. 

Folks on the northern Gulf Coast are running out of time to get ready for this system. Anyone along the potential path of this system—from the coast on hundreds of miles inland—needs to prepare for widespread, lengthy power outages and significant flash flooding.

If the storm makes landfall as a major hurricane, power outages will stretch very far inland and catch many folks off-guard. Go to the store on Wednesday and make sure you've got enough ready-to-eat food and water to get you through at least a week without power, along with the batteries and cell phone recharging packs to last the same amount of time.

We'll have a clearer idea of its track and resulting impacts on Wednesday.

[Satellite: NOAA]

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Tropical Storm Delta Could Hit The Gulf Coast As A Hurricane Late This Week

It's the season that keeps going and going. We're watching a new tropical storm in the Caribbean that could become a big problem for folks on the Gulf Coast by the end of the week. The National Hurricane Center expects Tropical Storm Delta to approach the northern Gulf Coast as a hurricane on Friday. It's still early, so folks from Texas to Florida need to make sure they're prepared and follow the system's development.

Tropical Storm Delta formed from a disturbance that didn't follow far behind Tropical Storm Gamma, which made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula last Friday. Gamma is still hanging out in the Gulf...well, sort of. The system is basically just a naked swirl out for a skinny-dip off the northern tip of the Yucatan. Gamma (or its remnant circulation) could play a role in Delta's future track and intensity, which makes the ailing system a wildcard in what happens over the next couple of days.

Hurricane Hunters began investigating Tropical Storm Delta this afternoon and found that the system rapidly strengthened and was nearly a hurricane by early evening. One look at satellite and it's not hard to figure out why the system is quickly strengthening. The storm looks very healthy today. Delta isn't lopsided or struggling with dry air, so that'll help its inner-structure continue to organize and allow the storm to steadily gain strength over the next couple of days.

The environment ahead of Delta is quite favorable for development, with calm wind, ample moisture, and warm sea surface temperatures in the western Caribbean and southern Gulf. Forecasters expect Delta to rapidly strengthen into a hurricane by the time it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, possibly reaching major hurricane status by the time it passes the Yucatan Peninsula.

Sea surface temperatures are chillier once you get to the central and northern Gulf, though, as a result of recent storms and recent cold fronts sweeping across the region. These colder water temperatures should stop Delta's strengthening and allow the storm to slowly weaken on approach to the U.S.. That's a welcome change from the previous four hurricanes to hit the United States—Hanna, Isaias, Laura, and Sally all rapidly strengthened as they made landfall.

Even with the colder water, forecasters expect the storm will move at a decent-enough clip that any weakening before landfall would be slow to occur. Accordingly, their latest forecast calls for a hurricane to make landfall somewhere along the northern Gulf Coast at the end of this week.

This is a serious storm that could have wide-reaching effects for folks on the northern Gulf Coast and interior parts of the southeastern states. Heavy rain and wind doesn't stop at the coast. Flash flooding, wind damage, and a threat for tornadoes would be possible well inland along the storm's path.

If you live along the coast—or even a few hundred miles inland—it's a good idea to spend the next day or two making sure you're prepared for the power outages and flooding. Keep enough ready-to-eat food and water to get you through a couple of days in the dark, enough batteries to power flashlights and radios, and charging packs to give your cell phone a few extra charges.

The storm's name, Delta, is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. We've seen 25 named storms so far this year. If Delta makes landfall in the United States, it'll be the tenth named storm to make landfall in the country this year, which would be an all-time record for U.S. landfalls in one season.

[Satellite: NOAA]

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Tropical Storm Gamma Hits Mexico, Another Storm Might Move Into The Gulf Next Week

We enjoyed a brief lull in tropical activity across the Atlantic Ocean before things started to pick up again. A tropical storm made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula this afternoon and it'll continue producing heavy rain over parts of Mexico through the middle of the week. Another disturbance in the Caribbean could develop into a depression or storm as it enters the Gulf, and there are a few other disturbances out in the Atlantic that might help beef up this year's already-beefy storm count.

We're a few weeks past the peak of hurricane season but the threat isn't over yet. I wrote a post a few days ago explaining that tropical activity in October and November typically forms in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean—we're creeping back into the period when we won't have the luxury of watching disturbances roll off Africa nearly two weeks before they become an issue for the U.S.

Tropical Storm Gamma

Gamma formed on Friday from a vibrant disturbance in the western Caribbean. The system rapidly strengthened into a 70 MPH storm before making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula early Saturday afternoon.

The tropical storm will weaken a bit before it emerges over the southern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and turns back toward Mexico. A cold front draped across the Gulf of Mexico will prevent the storm from continuing north into the United States.

The greatest threat from this system is flooding rains in Mexico. The storm could produce up to a foot of rain in higher elevations, which could lead to widespread flash flooding and mudslides in vulnerable areas.

A Trio Of Disturbances

➤ System #1

Hot on the heels of Tropical Storm Gamma is a disturbance that has a high (70 percent) chance of developing into a tropical depression by early next week. If it develops into a tropical storm, its name would be Delta.

The cold front that blocked Gamma from moving toward the United States will dissipate by early next week, allowing this new disturbance to move through the Yucatan Channel into the Gulf of Mexico.

If the system manages to develop, there's a decent chance that we'll have a tropical system moving toward some stretch of the Gulf Coast by late next week. The environment should be conducive to some strengthening and sea surface temperatures in the western Caribbean and southern Gulf are still in the mid- to upper 80s. 

It's too early for many specifics on the system beyond . It's something to keep an eye on this weekend and a reminder that the season isn't over yet. These next couple of days are a great time to make sure you've got the supplies needed—ready-to-eat food, water, batteries—to make it through a power outage, and plans in place in case of flooding or evacuations.

➤ System #2

Remember Hurricane Paulette from early last month? The remnants of that thing are still hanging around in the Atlantic Ocean. Paulette formed on September 11th and became a large hurricane that made a direct hit on Bermuda on September 14th.

The system raced off to the northern Atlantic and became an extratropical cyclone, but it slowed down, turned, and regenerated into a tropical storm near the Azores on September 22nd before weakening into a remnant low the following day.

Well...that remnant low is still hanging around in the central Atlantic after three weeks. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 10 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone for a third time, but it's running out of time before it's sheared apart.

➤ System #3

A tropical wave that moved off of Africa—probably one of the last African waves we'll see this year—has a 20 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression before it encounters destructive wind shear east of the Lesser Antilles.

Greek School

We're three letters deep into the Greek alphabet now. The next name on the list is Delta, followed by Epsilon and Zeta. We only got as far as Zeta during the record-setting 2005 hurricane season. It's possible that we'll manage to get beyond the sixth Greek letter, but we'll be cutting it close. The 2005 hurricane season didn't reach Delta and Epsilon until Thanksgiving weekend, and Zeta formed on December 30th that year.

[Satellite Images: NOAA]

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