Tropical Storm Tammy formed in the Atlantic on Wednesday as it sets its sights on the Caribbean and prompting tropical storm watches, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 11 p.m., the NHC said the center of Tammy was located about 530 miles east of the Caribbean’s Windward Islands moving west at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
Tropical storm watches have been issued for Barbados, Dominica, Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A westward motion at a slower forward speed is expected through Thursday. A turn toward the west-northwest is forecast by Thursday night, followed by a turn toward the northwest Friday night or Saturday,” forecasters said. “On the forecast track, the center of Tammy will move near or over the Leeward
Islands Friday and Saturday.”
Its tropical-storm-force winds extend out 140 miles and gradual strengthening is forecast over the next couple of days. The five-day cone of uncertainty forecasts it to grow into the season’s seventh hurricane, although by that time have shifted directions and remain out in the Atlantic.
Tropical-storm-force winds will begin to be felt in the tropical storm watch areas by Friday. Through Saturday, the NHC predicts 3 to 6 inches of rain with some areas getting 10 inches across portions of the northern Windward into the Leeward Islands as well as 1 to 2 inches with some areas getting 4 inches for the British and U.S. Virgin Islands into eastern Puerto Rico.
Rainfall could produce isolated flash and urban flooding and isolated mudslides in areas of higher terrain, the NHC said.
The NHC also warned of swells with life-threatening surf and rip current conditions generated by the storm could begin to affect portions of the Lesser Antilles on Thursday. High seas warnings with predictions of 20-foot waves in the next 48 hours are already in place for marine forecasts from the National Weather Service.
The 2023 Atlantic #hurricane season has already produced 89 named storm (e.g., tropical storm and #hurricane) days. That's the 5th most in the satellite era (since 1966) through October 13, trailing in order from most: 1995, 2005, 2020, 2004. #Sean pic.twitter.com/mOFUTnuksQ
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) October 13, 2023
Tammy becomes the 20th official system of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
That includes an unnamed subtropical storm in January and 18 other named storms that had already formed since the start of the official hurricane season, which runs from June 1-Nov. 30.
So far every system has grown to tropical-storm strength, with six systems becoming hurricanes, three of which became major hurricanes.
The World Meteorological Organization issues a 21-letter alphabet for storm names each year skipping over Q, U, X, Y and Z. After Tammy, only the names Vince and Whitney are left. If additional storm names are needed, the WMO has a supplemental list beginning with the name Adria.
Only 2005 and 2020 had more than 21 named storms, but they both relied on the Greek alphabet for supplemental storm names, a practice the WMO stopped because of confusion over similar storm names like Eta and Beta.
