Eye on the Tropics

Nate becomes a hurricane; speed adds worry to future impacts

By Irene Sans, WFTV.com
By Irene Sans, WFTV.com
Nate’s Friday evening pictures look much more polished than it has been in its entire life. Satellite images show deeper convection exploiting just between Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula. Also, it is starting to gain much better definition.

At 11:30 p.m. the National Hurricane Center issued a special statement: Nate officially became a hurricane after hurricane hunters found 75 mph maximum winds. It is now the 9th consecutive hurricane of the season

The storm is moving at a very fast pace and it could gain a bit more speed as it makes its way towards the Central Gulf states.
Hurricane warnings are already in place for New Orleans and surrounding areas, even been over 500 miles away from the U.S. coast. This puts into perspective the speed at which this storm is traveling.

>>> See Current track <<<

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LARGER STORM SURGE: Its speed will cause more problems to the east of wherever Nate makes landfall. Friday’s evening advisory places Nate at landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, which would mean large storm surge, above 8 feet, for the mouth of the Mississippi River and Mobile, Alabama.
The Gulf of Mexico is shallow and the Nate’s run contributes for a larger fetch, which translates to bigger storm surge.

CLOUDS: Nate is also expanding. Lots of clouds surround this system, stretching from Cuba to Central Florida, across much of the Gulf and back to the Yucatán and southward, exiting Nicaragua and Honduras. It is likely to be a large system but not quite symmetric in strength. Most of the convection and winds will be focused in the right half of the storm.

>>> Current watches and warnings  <<<


WIND: Nate will likely be making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds close to 90 mph. Its speed will likely contribute to an increase in winds to its right side. If the landfall does occur in Biloxi, with winds of 90 mph, the area to its right, such as Mobile and surroundings would have sustained winds of 110 mph, which makes it a strong Category 2 hurricane. The wind will bring big problems and damages.

RAINFALL: The speed is helping rainfall. Since its forward speed is fast, it doesn't have time to drop the rain it could potentially drop if the storm was moving slower. Still tropical systems drop large amounts of rains. Rainfall between 4-6 inches across Southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and extreme northwest Florida, isolated about 12 inches are possible.

The rainfall will expand northward toward the Ohio Valley and Appalachians, where isolated areas could also receive 12 inches isolated.


Read: Nate leaves Honduras; expected to intensify
Read: Tropical Storm Nate blamed for 22 deaths

FLORIDA'S IMPACTS
Florida's Gulf Coast will likely get higher than normal waves and surf, as well as rip currents. King tides will also contribute to Nate's high storm surge along the Gulf Coast states and the higher surf across the west coast of Central Florida.

Rain bands will move over the Florida Peninsula starting on Saturday, mainly from west to east. Afternoon storms are likely. Persistent rain bands could produce 2-4 inches of rain. On Sunday more scattered storms mainly from the south. Make sure you have at least two ways of receiving weather alerts, especially if you have plans outdoors this weekend.
We will monitor Nate’s track and bring you the latest on Channel 9, wftv.com and on our social media platforms.
Read: King tides combined with strong winds cause flooding in coastal communities

Nate has been blamed for at least 22 deaths in Central America as it dumped rain across the region.
Pronóstico en español por nuestra meteoróloga Irene Sans

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