Tropical update: Philippe & Rina’s dance alters track

It’s an active Friday in the tropics! Luckily, neither of the two named systems is a threat to land this weekend. For continuity and records, let’s discuss what’s happening this busy hurricane season to finish the week.

The good news is that having Philippe and Rina so close in proximity is making them interact and has pulled Philippe toward Rina, this is great news for the northeastern Caribbean islands, and they will get less shower activity associated with this system. These two storms dance close to each other and interact that their tracks have been altered, due to these changes, their future forecast intensity has also changed.

Philippe, which was slated to weaken in earlier forecasts, will put the brakes on even more brutal and be almost stationary all weekend. This will allow for the system to continue as a tropical storm while staying over 300 miles to the east-northeast of the Leeward Islands. While it parks over the weekend, the system could reach maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, which is a strong tropical storm. Mariners along the northern Leeward islands could sometimes notice choppy seas and some high waves. By Monday, Philippe is forecast to make a northward turn and remain over water.

Rina on the other hand will be moving over the weekend. Before being named earlier this week, Rina’s center was noted much more south, once it became better organized its center drifted northward and is now a bit more north than Philippe. This drift has contributed to the changes in trajectory and ultimately intensity, for both systems. The current track shows Rina traveling to the west-northwest close to 1,000 miles northeast of the Caribbean. By the beginning of next week, Rina is forecast to be a depression as it moves to the north over an area of more hostile atmospheric conditions, and well away from Philippe, on its own then. The final track could still vary this weekend as both storms continue their rendezvous over the Atlantic waters.

We are two months away from the official end of the hurricane season. Although we are downslope in the average storm activity, it must be noted that it is during the month of October and the beginning of November that tropical activity tends to increase closer to the U.S. coast, and western Caribbean. This is due to the energy left behind by fronts that, under the right atmospheric conditions, could spark a quick system, with not much time to prepare. It is important to be aware, and not let your guard down, especially if you live near the coast.

We are on duty this weekend, monitoring anything crucial with these systems and the rain impacts to the Northeast, associated with an exiting low-pressure system and fronts. Consult our forecasts throughout the weekend and our WeatherRadar to be ahead of the storm.

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