Hurricane center busy with reformed Gert, TD 12 coming amid Idalia, Franklin, Jose

It’s getting crowded in one part of the Atlantic with four named storms churning and advisories beginning on Tropical Depression Twelve at 11 a.m., according to the National Hurricane Center.

New overnight is the reformation of what was Tropical Storm Gert last week as Tropical Depression Gert in the mid-Atlantic, and TD 12 near the Cape Verde Islands. The join what is now Post-Tropical Cyclone Idalia, Hurricane Franklin and Tropical Storm Jose among named storms while the NHC was also tracking another potential systemin the Atlantic.

Among named systems, only one is a threat to land.

Idalia, which struck Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, moved across the southeast U.S. and ventured into Atlantic as a tropical storm on Thursday, but lost its tropical characteristics late Thursday. The NHC is continuing to track it, though, as it predicts it will regain tropical storm status and threaten Bermuda, which is under a tropical storm watch.

As of 8 a.m., Idalia was located 250 miles west of Bermuda heading east-southeast at 16 mph with 60 mph sustained winds. Its tropical-storm-force winds extend out 230 miles.

“An east-southeastward to eastward motion at a much slower forward speed is expected during the 24 hours,” forecasters said. “An east-northeastward motion is expected to begin over the weekend. On the forecast track, Idalia will approach Bermuda over the weekend.”

While it may weaken gradually through early Saturday, the NHC forecasts it will transition back to Tropical Storm Idalia by Saturday afternoon.

Hurricane Franklin has reduced intensity overnight and is now a Category 1 storm with 80 mph sustained winds.

As of 5 a.m., it’s located 580 miles northeast of Bermuda moving east-northeast at 18 mph with hurricane-force winds extending out 60 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extending out 160 miles.

“A northeastward motion at an accelerated pace is expected over the next few days,” forecasters said. “Further slight weakening is expected during the next couple of days, followed by faster rate of weakening by early next week. Franklin is forecast to become an extratropical cyclone tonight.”

Franklin is expected to eat up another storm that formed into Tropical Storm Jose on Thursday.

The compact system grew stronger overnight but is still expected to be absorbed by Hurricane Franklin in a sort of drive-by meteorological event.

At 5 a.m. Jose was located about 750 miles east-northeast of Bermuda moving north at 18 mph with sustained winds of 60 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend out 45 miles.

“An accelerated northward motion is expected today,” forecasters said. “Weakening is forecast, and Jose is expected to become absorbed by Franklin tonight or early Saturday.”

New on Friday was the reformation of what had been Tropical Storm Gert into Tropical Depression Gert.

At 5 a.m. it was located 635 miles east-southeast of Bermuda moving east at 8 mph with 35 mph sustained winds.

“A slower eastward motion is expected today. A turn toward the northeast is expected on Saturday and that motion should continue through late in the weekend,” forecasters said. “Some slight strengthening is possible today, and Gert could become a tropical storm once again. Gradual weakening is forecast to begin over the weekend.”

As of 8 a.m. TD 12 was just one of two other systems in the Atlantic the NHC is giving a chance to become the next tropical depression or storm. It could grow into Tropical Storm Katia today if powerful enough. After Katia, the next name on the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season name list is Lee.

TD 12 is coming from a low pressure west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands in the eastern tropical Atlantic that has became more defined since Thursday.

The system is moving northwestward at 10 to 15 mph across the eastern tropical Atlantic.

The last weather system the NHC is eyeing is what’s expected to be a tropical wave coming off the west coast of Africa this weekend.

“Environmental conditions appear conducive for some gradual development of this system during the early and middle parts of next week, and a tropical depression could form while it moves westward to west-northwestward over the eastern and central portions of the tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said.

The NHC gives it a 50% chance to form in the next seven days.