Gaston forecast to become a hurricane in Atlantic

Forecasters advise people in Florida and the northern Bahamas to keep an eye on this system, as it has an 80 percent chance of development in the next five days. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says weakening is expected Thursday or Friday.

Because of wind shear and drier air, Tropical Storm Fiona is expected to weaken over the weekend.

The system will move in the general direction of the Bahamas on Thursday where Chris said it should strengthen.

“Most models bring it close to Florida, while some take it into the Gulf of Mexico”, Bridges said.

Weather officials estimate the tropical system, now known as Invest 99-L, will hit the Bahamas by Friday and could arrive in South Florida and the Florida Keys by Sunday or Monday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm’s maximum sustained winds early Thursday are near 75 miles per hour (120 kph) with weakening forecast during the next day or so.

Showers and storms are starting to organize but as of this morning there are no signs of circulation. If it gets a name, it would be Hermine (Her-MEEN), the 8th named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season.

Atmospheric conditions favor rapid strengthening of the storm, which is expected to continue on its west-northwest trajectory for the next three days before turning toward the northwest.

As of 4 p.m. CDT Wednesday, Gaston was moving northwest at 16 mph, and it was over 1,000 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.