Tropical Storm Gustav closed in on Jamaica Thursday at near-hurricane strength while a new tropical storm formed in the Atlantic.
Tropical Storm Hanna, the eighth named storm of the 2008 hurricane season, is spinning about 1,500 miles east-southeast of Miami with 40 mph winds. Forecasters said Hanna could grow into a hurricane by Labor Day but likely wouldn't threaten the U.S. coast until later next week, if at all.
Meanwhile, Gustav's winds increased to 70 mph from 45 mph overnight as it took a turn toward Jamaica. The center of Gustav was just reaching the island's eastern shoreline at 11 a.m., about 45 miles east of Kingston.
National Hurricane Center forecasters now expect Gustav to regain hurricane status Thursday and track into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane by Sunday. The five-day forecast cone projects a landfall Tuesday morning somewhere along the Gulf Coast, from southern Texas to the western tip of the Florida Panhandle.
Jamaica was under a hurricane warning as heavy rain and wind gusts blew across the island. Up to a foot of rain is possible, along with flooding and mudslides, forecasters said.
Read the full story at MiamiHerald.com.
Comments