NHC tracks Tropical Storms Fay and Gonzalo far from Florida; no new Atlantic formation expected

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories Friday on two named Atlantic storms that remain far from Florida. Per NHC’s 8:00 a.m. EDT Tropical Weather Outlook, Tropical Storm Gonzalo is located about 160 miles east-southeast of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands, and Tropical Storm Fay is well west-southwest of the Azores. Tropical cyclone formation is not expected in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of America during the next seven days.

Gonzalo Intermediate Advisory Number 2A (11:00 a.m. Cabo Verde Time) places the center near 14.7°N, 22.6°W — about 120 miles east of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands — with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph moving north-northwest at 10 mph and a minimum central pressure of 1002 mb. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Cabo Verde Islands, where tropical-storm conditions are spreading today. NHC expects the center to pass near or over portions of the islands today and tonight, with a gradual weakening trend forecast to begin this weekend. Rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected across eastern Cabo Verde, with lesser amounts on the western islands.

Fay Advisory Number 21 (9:00 a.m. GMT) places that storm near 29.8°N, 42.8°W — about 1,065 miles west-southwest of the Azores — with 50 mph winds moving west at 6 mph and a central pressure of 1004 mb. There are no coastal watches or warnings, and NHC lists no land hazards. Slight strengthening is possible over the next 12 hours, followed by gradual weakening through the weekend as Fay turns west-southwest then southwest at a slower speed.

Neither Fay nor Gonzalo is a Florida land threat. After South Florida’s multi-day street-flooding episode earlier this week, local wet-season storms can still produce brief ponding, but the current Atlantic named systems are not drivers of Central Florida weather. If floodwater or a wet-season leak has entered a Lakeland-area home or business, prompt extraction and drying limit secondary damage. Florida Restoration Specialists serves Central Florida water damage calls — water damage restoration and water extraction — or call (863) 588-6617.

Sources: NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook (8:00 a.m. EDT Sept. 25), NHC Tropical Storm Gonzalo Intermediate Advisory Number 2A, NHC Tropical Storm Fay Advisory Number 21, NHC home.