National Weather Service Monitoring Four Potential Storms in Atlantic as Season Heats Up

By Brian K. Sullivan (Bloomberg) –Four potential tropical systems are threatening to form in the Atlantic, including a patch of thunderstorms off the Carolinas with a 70% chance of being the Atlantic’s next named storm within five days.

The system, about 150 miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, appears to be heading “harmlessly out to sea,” said Rob Miller, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

A second potential storm in the Caribbean Sea could pose more of a threat, with an 80% chance of reaching tropical strength. It’s unlikely to hit the U.S. but could slam into Central America, where storms can be especially deadly because heavy rains can trigger mudslides.

The third and fourth systems are near Africa but forecasters don’t expect them to reach tropical strength within the next two days.

The 2020 hurricane season has entered its most active phase and usually peaks about Sept. 10. The U.S. has been hit by seven of the 13 storms to form across the Atlantic in 2020, including Hurricane Laura. It killed more than a dozen people across the Caribbean and U.S. last week and likely caused as much as $8 billion in insured losses when it struck Louisiana, according to AIR Worldwide, a risk modeling firm.

© 2020 Bloomberg L.P

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