Science

Tropical depression moving into the Gulf of Mexico

Tropical storm watches were in effect for the coast of North Carolina from Cape Lookout to Oregon Inlet, and more watches could be coming later today, the hurricane center said. These will potentially trigger an isolated flash flooding.

Next complete advisory: 5 p.m.

The NHC noted at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Eight (TD8) was located near 32.9 degrees north latitude and 73.2 degrees west longitude.

Gaston's winds reached 120 miles per hour on Sunday, making it a Category 3 hurricane and the strongest storm of 2016 in the Atlantic so far. Tropical Depression Eight is located 270 nautical miles west of Bermuda, with maximum wind speeds at 35 mph (30 kts). Tropical Depression 8 developed off the coast of North and SC on Sunday morning.

The system was likely to strength and become a tropical storm later on Monday or overnight, the forecasters said. For the Outer Banks, that means gusts could reach 50 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 35 miles per hour.

While no threat to land, Gaston has remained a long-lived hurricane, with a central pressure of 960 mb.

Residents, though, were warned to be cautious from the time Gaston became a hurricane Saturday. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says this could be the busiest hurricane season since 2012. The system is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm Monday and potentially move across the northern half of the Florida peninsula by Thursday.

All of this activity in the Atlantic is bustling on the 11th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall. Gaston is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Storms become hurricanes at 74 miles per hour. A rip current statement has been issued for not only the Outer Banks but the entire East Coast from North Carolina to Florida. The forecast track for Gaston takes this system northeastward. Conditions are only marginally favorable for further development. The wave now has a 60 percent chance of becoming at least a tropical depression in the next five days.

Hurricane season continues through November 30.

stayontheblack.com

Tropical depression moving into the Gulf of Mexico