August 16, 2012

Gordon Forecasted to Turn Away From Florida

Tropical Storm Gordon is located about 1600 miles west of the Azores, or about 585 miles east of Bermuda. Satellite imagery of the system Thursday morning indicated increasing, thickening clouds and cooling cloud tops. These are signs of increased thunderstorm activity and indicate that the system is strengthening.
This system has slowly progressed northwestward over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean since last weekend when it emerged off the African coast. Since that time, it has been plagued with dry air and dust originating from the Sahara Desert. These factors limited development, and it is only in the past 24 hours that the system entered a region more suitable for organization.
Forecast models show that the system will take on a more due northerly track late Wednesday and Thursday as it progresses around a dome of high pressure to the east. This path would keep the system well east of Bermuda.
Later Thursday into Friday this high pressure dome will weaken, and the system will be picked up by a prevailing westerly wind that will guide it towards the Azores by Sunday into early Monday. At that time, the system will encounter cooler ocean waters and lose tropical characteristics as it continues toward Europe.
By Steve Travis, Meteorologist – AccuWeather.com

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