Tropical Storm Tammy expected to form today, hurricane center says

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read

A system approaching the Caribbean is showing more organization Wednesday and is now expected to be named Tropical Storm Tammy, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Satellite imagery shows circulation with area of low pressure located about 700 miles east of the Caribbean’s Windward Islands also has more organized showers and thunderstorms and wind data that indicates tropical-storm-force winds already.

“Continued development is anticipated, and a tropical storm is expected to form later today or tonight while moving westward or west-northwestward toward the Lesser Antilles,” forecasters said.

The NHC said advisories may be initiated for the Lesser Antilles later this afternoon that could include tropical storm watches for some of its islands. High seas warnings with predictions of 20-foot waves in the next 48 hours are already in place for marine forecasts from the National Weather Service.

“Regardless of development, this system has the potential to bring gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding to portions of the Lesser Antilles beginning on Friday,” forecasters said,

It gives the system an 90% chance to develop in the next two to seven days.

When it is named, it would become the 20th official system of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

That includes an unnamed subtropical storm in January and 18 other named storms that had already formed since the start of the official hurricane season, which runs from June 1-Nov. 30.

So far every system has grown to tropical-storm strength, with six systems becoming hurricanes, three of which became major hurricanes.

The World Meteorological Organization issues a 21-letter alphabet for storm names each year skipping over Q, U, X, Y and Z. After Tammy, only the names Vince and Whitney are left. If additional storm names are needed, the WMO has a supplemental list beginning with the name Adria.

Only 2005 and 2020 had more than 21 named storms, but they both relied on the Greek alphabet for supplemental storm names, a practice the WMO stopped because of confusion over similar storm names like Eta and Beta.