Tropical Storm Cindy formed behind Tropical Storm Bret. It is, according to meteorologists, the first case in which two storms coincided in the tropical Atlantic in June since records began in 1851.
The data released on Friday indicates that we are witnessing an early and vigorous start to the hurricane season in the Atlantic, which began on June 1 and usually has its most relevant moments between mid-August and mid-October.
Some meteorologists argue that this coincidence is due to unusually high sea temperatures.
“The Atlantic is terribly hot this year,” warned Kerry Emanuel, a meteorologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She added that this is partly due to global warming, natural variability, and the ocean recovering from the sulfate aerosol pollution that cooled it decades ago.
Emanuel stressed that throughout the Atlantic Ocean — not just the tropical Atlantic — storms are not uncommon in June. This has happened 34 times, including this year, since 1851, he added.
Cindy is expected to maintain tropical storm status as it heads into the northeastern Caribbean toward open ocean before dissipating early next week.
Meanwhile, Bret brought winds, heavy rain and storm surge of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) to the eastern Caribbean islands, which had braced for possible mudslides and flooding after his arrival Thursday night.
Authorities on the French Caribbean island of Martinique found four people aboard a lifeboat after their catamaran sank during the storm and said they had been hospitalized.
Power outages were reported in Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and at least 130 people took refuge in government shelters as the storm swept away one house and severely damaged several others, authorities said.
Officials in Barbados said they have received more than a dozen reports of damage across the island, according to the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency.
Bret continued to move through the central Caribbean late Friday, passing north of the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. According to forecasts, it is expected to dissipate on Saturday night.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said “there are no coastal watches or advisories at this time… Bret-generated storm surge will affect coastal areas adjacent to the central Caribbean Sea today. These swells may cause
life-threatening waves and rip current conditions.
At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Cindy was
located near latitude 16.4 North, longitude 53.3 West. Cindy is moving toward the northwest near 20 mph (31 km/h) and a slower pace is expected in the coming days. Its maximum sustained winds remain near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts. A weakening is expected in the next few days and Cindy.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecast 12 to 17 named storms for this year’s hurricane season. Of these, between five and nine could reach hurricane strength, including three Category 3 or greater hurricanes.
[Con información de AP y Reuters]
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