Sept. 23 —
A batch of thunderstorms AccuWeather meteorologists have been tracking since they formed over Africa became Tropical Storm Lorenzo early Monday and is likely to become the next hurricane of the 2019 season.
The feature was dubbed Tropical Depression 13 Sunday night.
Lorenzo joins Jerry and Karen in the Atlantic basin. There is now a trio of active tropical cyclones spinning in the basin at the same time, and the latest addition is intensifying quickly.
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| This image, taken on Monday midday, Sept. 23, 2019, shows Tropical Storm Lorenzo just west of the coast of Africa. Image courtesy NOAA/GOES-East |
“Lorenzo may not only become the next hurricane over the Atlantic, but could become the season’s next major hurricane this week,” AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.
As of 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Lorenzo was nearly a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. Lorenzo could become a hurricane later Tuesday. The center of the storm was about 465 miles west-southwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands and was moving west-northwest at 17 mph
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Steering winds will guide Lorenzo on a west-northwest track into the middle of this week.
“Later this week, steering winds may be such to steer the then-hurricane on a more northwest path,” Kottlowski said.
“If this track holds up, the storm may avoid the islands of the northeastern Caribbean.”
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However, since there is always a possibility of steering winds changing over time, interests over the Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas and waters along the coast of North America, as well as mid-ocean shipping, should monitor the progress of Lorenzo.
According to Colorado State University Meteorologist Philip Klotzbach, the Western Hemisphere has generated 16 named storms since Aug 21.
“This is the most on record for the Western Hemisphere between Aug. 21-Sept. 23, breaking the old record of 15 named storms set in 1984 and 2002,” he wrote on Twitter.