As Predicted, The Tropics Are Very Active With Storms

A disorganized Tropical Storm Harvey in the Windward Islands
Friday. It is expected to get better organized and strengthen

The tropical Atlantic Ocean, as expected, is bubbling with lots of tropical activity - a tropical storm, a hurricane that just died, and other disturbances that could form into nasty storms.  

Hurricane Gert died its expected death over the cold North Atlantic waters yesterday -- hurricanes can't maintain themselves over cold water. When they go too far north they turn into regular storms are just disappear off the face of the earth.

Gert was replaced Thursday with Tropical Storm Harvey. It was in the Windward Islands this morning, making a beeline almost due west. It could strengthen into a hurricane, and will probably hit somewhere around Belize or Hondurias or southern Mexico somewhere around Tuesday or Wednesday.

We're ahead of schedule with tropical storms in the Atlantic, though fortunately most have either been weak or hit relatively unpopulated areas. Tropical storms and hurricanes are named in alphabetical order. We normally don't get up to "H" until late September.

The race through the hurricane alphabe might be poised to continue.

Not far to the northeast of Harvey is another area of disturbed weather that forecasters think has a good chance of becoming a tropical storm. If that happens, they'll name it Irma.

If Irma forms, it's possible it could threaten Cuba, the Bahamas or Florida later next week, though we're certainly not sure of that yet.

Forecasters are also watching another patch of thunderstorms way out over the eastern Atlantic because that would could potentially develop into Tropical Storm Jose. We'll see.