(CMR) Bermuda is getting lashed by Hurricane Paulette as five named tropical storms cyclones (Tropical depression or stronger) are being watched in the Atlantic. This is only the second time on record that since 1971 that five named storms are active at the same time.
The height of the hurricane season shows no signs of letting up as the alphabet of names is always exhausted with only “Wilfred” remaining before we would move to the Greek alphabet. Exhausting the list of names has also once happened once before; in 2005.
The National Hurricane Center's late-morning update indicated that Tropical Depression 21 had strengthened into Tropical Storm Vicky, the 20th named storm of the season. Vicky is out in the eastern Atlantic and forecasters say the storm is forecast to be short-lived.
Teddy and Vicky represent the earliest formation of the 19th and 20th named storms in a season, respectively.
Hurricane Paulette made landfall early Monday morning in Bermuda. While Paulette is currently moving away from Bermuda, hurricane conditions are still impacting the island. Strong winds, storm surge and very heavy rainfall will likely continue all the way through the afternoon.
Paulette is also expected to continue to strengthen as it tracks into the open Atlantic. The hurricane could gain major hurricane status, with wind speeds of at least 111 mph, on Wednesday moving north-northwest at 13 mph. If this does occur it would only be the second hurricane to achieve this distinction so far this season. The Atlantic Hurricane Season typically averages three major hurricanes in total.
At 2 p.m. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 45 miles from its center, and tropical-storm-force winds reach out up to 175 miles. Paulette is expected to pick up speed throughout Monday night.
Paulette is the sixth hurricane of the season.
Meanwhile, hurricane Sally is rapidly intensifying and slowly edging toward the coastline of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, where it is forecast to push a dangerous surge ashore and unload tremendous rainfall through Wednesday. The storm is slowly crawling west-northwest toward the Gulf Coast and its assault on the coast will be prolonged. Before landfall, Sally may intensify further over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to bring 70 to 90 mph winds to coastal Lousiana and Mississippi; making the storm's greatest threat the storm surge and flooding. The speed of the storm remains a real concern as the heavy rains will deluge some parts of the Gulf Coast.
At 2 p.m. Eastern, Sally was located 160 miles southeast of Biloxi, Miss., and was crawling west-northwest at 7 mph. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were 90 mph, a 25 mph increase from the 11 a.m. National Hurricane Center advisory, and the storm was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane.
Hurricane-force-winds expanded 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward about 125 miles.
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