Hurricane Gaston expected to weaken in the Atlantic

“However, some re-strengthening is expected to begin Friday night, and Gaston could become a hurricane again on Saturday”.

However, environmental conditions could become a little more conducive for development early next week when the system approaches the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It will likely be a tropical storm when it gets there. The National Hurricane Center believes that this tropical wave has 80 percent chance of turning into a tropical storm later this week and will move across central and eastern Bahamas.

We still need to monitor Invest 99-L closely, particularly as we head through the weekend into early next week when it will move into a more favorable environment. Currently, the storm is roughly 1,000 miles southeast of Miami and moving on a west-northwest path.

Conditions are expected to remain unfavorable for significant development during the next two days as the system moves west-northwest at about 10 miles per hour.

If the system develops, and that is still not certain, it could swing northeast out to sea, or impact the waterlogged central Gulf Coast as a strong storm next week. Even if Invest 99L never becomes organized into a tropical storm or hurricane, parts of southeastern Florida will experience high winds, torrential rain, and possible flash flooding. This system has a medium, 50% chance to develop into a tropical cyclone as it pushes west northwestward.

Typical tropical storm and hurricane origin areas and tracks in August.

Hurricane Gaston in the mid-Atlantic should weaken into a tropical storm Thursdayas it continues into open water, far from land.

The next full update from the National Hurricane Center will be issued at 8:00 AM EDT. The Bahamas will likely see gusty winds and heavy rainfall, with Florida and the Keys getting the same miserable weather over the weekend.