Tropical Storm Gaston formed Tuesday afternoon from Tropical Depression Eight in the central Atlantic Ocean, though the storm’s current path does not show it reaching land.
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Gaston was about 990 miles west of the Azores, which are in the mid-Atlantic, about 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is forecast to move north-northeast at 17 mph.
On Wednesday, Gaston will turn to the northeast and then continue east, forecasters said. It’s tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 70 miles from the center.
Tropical Storm Gaston was traveling over warm waters Tuesday in conditions that could allow for some slow strengthening over the next day or so, forecasters said in the 5 p.m. update. After that, cool, dry air and winds will prevent any further strengthening.
By early Thursday, Gaston’s maximum sustained wind speeds are forecast to be 60 mph.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Fiona was bringing strong winds and rain to parts of the Turks and Caicos. Fiona, now a Category 3 storm, became the first major hurricane of the 2022 season, and forecasters expect Fiona to strengthen into a Category 4 storm, with winds of 140 mph, by late Wednesday.
The next named storm will be Hermine.
In addition to Hurricane Fiona and Tropical Storm Gaston, forecasters are monitoring two other systems in the Atlantic.
A system heading for the eastern Caribbean is likely to develop into a tropical depression in the next few days, the center’s latest advisory said, as it moves west-northwest at 15 to 20 mph.
A tropical wave is expected to roll off the west African coast in a few days, forecasters said. It has medium odds of developing as it moves north.
