Tropical trouble for the Carolinas? Forecasters eye system in the Atlantic

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
·2 min read

With Tropical Storms Paulette and Rene spinning far out in the Atlantic Ocean, folks should be paying attention to a smaller nearby disturbance along the U.S. Southeast coast, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center said a tropical disturbance about 300 miles southwest of Bermuda could become a tropical depression as it moves northwest over the Atlantic this week.

There's a chance it could become a named storm before it reaches the Carolina coast before the end of the week, AccuWeather said. A storm gets a name when its sustained winds reach 39 mph.

The hurricane center said that "interests along the Southeast coast of the U.S. should monitor the progress of this disturbance."

Regardless of development, a surge of tropical moisture ahead of and with the system will lead to drenching showers and gusty thunderstorms in coastal areas of the Carolinas as the week progresses, AccuWeather said.

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Elsewhere, a new tropical wave is forecast to move off the coast of Africa this week. The hurricane center is giving it a 70% chance of development over the next five days.

In addition to Tropical Storms Paulette and Rene, forecasters are also keeping an eye on a system that's off the Southeast U.S. coast and also one that's about to emerge off of Africa.
In addition to Tropical Storms Paulette and Rene, forecasters are also keeping an eye on a system that's off the Southeast U.S. coast and also one that's about to emerge off of Africa.

The next two names on the list of tropical storms for the 2020 season are Sally and Teddy.

As for Paulette and Rene, neither is expected to be any threat to the U.S. But the hurricane center said Rene would produce tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall across the Cabo Verde Islands on Tuesday before curving west-northwest on a path far from other land areas.

Paulette and Rene also set records for the earliest "P" and "R" storms on record in the Atlantic, beating Philippe and Rita from the infamous 2005 season.

Predictions of an active hurricane season have been more than met: The 2020 hurricane season tally now includes 17 named storms, of which five were hurricanes – Hanna, Isaias, Laura, Marco and Nana.

Hurricane Laura was the most lethal, roaring ashore on the border of Texas and Louisiana as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 27. The storm left at least 25 people dead.

Contributing: Susan Miller, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical storm may reach Carolinas; Paulette, Rene won't hit US coast