Hurricane season is officially over, but system near Puerto Rico may become tropical storm

Enhanced infrared view of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday morning.


Enhanced infrared view of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday morning.

A weather system off Puerto Rico has a chance - although a slight one now - of becoming a tropical storm more than a week after the Atlantic hurricane season officially ended, forecasters said.

But even if it develops, the storm shouldn't threaten the Treasure Coast, according to early forecast models.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said conditions around the storm became less favorable for development overnight, but the system still has the potential to become a tropical or subtropical storm.

At 11 a.m., the system was about 200 miles east of Puerto Rico and moving west at 20 mph.

Even if the system doesn't strengthen, forecasters warn it could still produce heavy squalls and near-gale force winds across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later today. Its heavy rains also could cause life-threatening flash-floods and mudslides in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.

The storm would be named Olga if it developed into a tropical storm. Tropical storms have winds of at least 39 mph.

Forecast models keep it south of Florida, but the system may bring rain to the area later in the week, said Dean Tendrich, meteorologist for WPTV NewsChannel 5.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which ended Nov. 30, had 14 named storms this year. Six of those were hurricanes.

Although unusual, it's not unheard of to have a weather system turn into a named tropical storm - or even a hurricane - after the Atlantic hurricane season official ends Nov. 30.

The most recent incident was Tropical Storm Zeta, which formed Dec. 30, 2005. It was the 27th named storm that year, setting a record for the most named storms in one year and was the second-latest storm to form.

Also forming on Dec. 30, but in 1954 and six hours later than Zeta, was Tropical Storm Alice. That storm eventually turned into a hurricane.

Hurricane Lili formed on Dec. 12, 1984. None of those storms affected land.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Comments » 5

Repubtallygirl writes:

It must be global warming and all of George Bush's fault, right?

patrickhenry0001#461494 writes:

Hey, when I woke up this morning, it was warm out, so there must be global warming.

waterview writes:

as of 11AM today, the NOAA website does not even have a figure for wind speed. it says a tropical storm "could develop" but that upper level winds will probably prevent that from happening.
why do we have to get breathless media reports every time the winds kick up in the cairbbean? and what good does it do for dr william gray to forecast next years hurricane season 6 months away? his predictions are basically dressed-up guesses, since there are so many unexpected variables that he doesnt consider.
im so tired of the media trying to plump up every weather event into something unusual that is directly caused by alleged global warming.

schoolnursern1#255086 writes:

I am moving to Tennessee where there's still cold weather, yet the trees aren't changing due to the drought. Guess it is Global warming. :)

Giacomo writes:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
