Subtropical Storm Otto forms in the Atlantic, no threat to land

Subtropical Storm Otto forms in the Atlantic, no threat to land

2010-10-07 13:34:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Subtropical Storm Otto formed northeast of the Grand Turk Island in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, forecasters said.

As of 11 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, the center of Subtropical Storm Otto was located about 370 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of the Grand Turk Island, or about 1,035 kilometers (640 miles) south-southwest of Bermuda. The storm was moving toward the north at a speed near 6 kilometers (3 miles) per hour.

"A turn toward the north-northeast and northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected on Thursday," said forecaster Robbie Berg at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. "On the forecast track, Otto is expected to remain well to the east of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands."

As of late Wednesday evening, Otto had maximum sustained winds near 100 kilometers (65 miles) per hour, with higher gusts. Berg said Otto is likely to strengthen into a hurricane over the next day or so.

"Water vapor and infrared imagery show that the surface and upper-level low are almost collocated," Berg said. "But recent data indicate that the warm core in the mid-levels of the circulation is strengthening. Although Otto still looks like a classic subtropical cyclone in satellite imagery, it appears to be slowly gaining tropical characteristics."

Berg said vertical shear is expected to be light during through Friday, which gives the cyclone the opportunity to strengthen further. "The statistical intensity guidance shows the most strengthening and brings Otto to a [..] hurricane," the forecaster said. "But these models probably do not handle transitioning subtropical cyclones as well as pure tropical cyclones."

On late Wednesday evening, maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour extended outward up to 165 kilometers (105 miles) from the center of Otto. "Heavy rainfall is possible in the Northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico during the next day or so," Berg said.

However, Otto is not expected to directly impact any land.

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