Angry Atlantic

The 2012 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season is in high gear, but you probably would never have guessed it! That's because all the tropical cyclones are currently out there with the fish. At present, there are three Atlantic tropical cyclones of interest: Category One Hurricane Michael, Tropical Storm Leslie and a tropical wave which is likely to evolve into a tropical depression within 48 hours.

Tropical Storm Leslie will continue to lose its tropical characteristics as it is steered north and east ahead of a surface cold front, after achieving Category One hurricane status back on September 5, 2012. Leslie is likely to become extratropical in the days ahead, as it accelerates northward towards Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. During this process the tropical, warm-core center of Leslie will take on the cold-core features of the mid-latitude cyclones we are familiar with here in the contiguous United States.

Category One Hurricane Michael, with maximum sustained winds of 80mph, will suffer a similar fate as Leslie. Being picked up and steered north and eventually east by the prevailing westerly winds and moving over colder water, Michael will steadily weaken as it transitions into an extratropical system posing no direct threat to any landmass.

The tropical wave located about 855 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands is moving westward into a favorable environment for tropical cyclone development. The tropical wave is likely to strengthen into a tropical depression within the next 48 hours, and possibly a tropical storm in the days to come. The long range synoptic setup suggests that this tropical entity will be steered east of the Lesser Antilles, Bahamas and the east coast of the United States. The system should be closely monitored for Bermuda, as it may follow a similar trajectory as Leslie.