Tropical Storm Cindy forms in the open central Atlantic, no threat to land

[News_Editor]

Tropical Storm Cindy forms in the open central Atlantic, no threat to land

2011-07-21 07:06:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Tropical storm Cindy formed in the open central Atlantic on late Wednesday afternoon, forecasters said, making it the fourth named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) have been following the weather system since Tuesday afternoon when it emerged as a broad area of low pressure about 175 miles (281 kilometers) east-northeast of Bermuda, producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. It rapidly became better organized on Wednesday.

"The area of low pressure that formed north of Bermuda yesterday has developed enough organized convection and a well-defined circulation to be considered a subtropical or tropical cyclone," said NHC senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven. "An upper-level trough just west of the system suggests subtropical cyclone characteristics. However, persistent convection just north and northeast of the center suggests tropical cyclone characteristics, and thus the system is designated tropical storm Cindy."

As of 5 p.m. AST (2100 GMT), the center of Cindy was located about 665 miles (1065 kilometers) east-northeast of the British overseas territory of Bermuda. It is moving toward the northeast near 24 miles (39 kilometers) per hour, a general motion which is expected to continue throughout the week.

Cindy's maximum sustained winds are near 40 miles (65 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts. "On the forecast track, Cindy will pass over sea surface temperatures of 24 to 26 Celsius (75.2 to 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit) for the next 12 to 24 hours, which could allow some modest strengthening as shown in the intensity forecast," Beven explained.

He added: "After that, the cyclone should encounter much colder water and increasing baroclinicity in the westerlies, which should lead to extratropical transition. Cindy is forecast to dissipate completely [in] 96 hours, and the global models suggest this could occur earlier than currently forecast." The storm will remain far from any land until it dissipates, Beven said.

Cindy is the third named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Bret which remains active far off the U.S. East Coast. It earlier impacted the Bahamas but caused no casualties.

According to figures released in May, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is expecting an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic this year. The outlook calls for 12 to 18 named storms, with six to ten becoming hurricanes and three to six expected to become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher).

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes and two becoming major hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, with peak activity in September.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-21