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Hurricane Danielle reforms, Tropical Storm Earl strengthens in Atlantic

As of Monday, Earl was slowly gaining wind speed with the possibility of becoming a hurricane later this week, while Danielle was still meandering.
 
Forecasters are keeping track of one hurricane, Danielle, and one named tropical storm, Earl, in the Atlantic.
Forecasters are keeping track of one hurricane, Danielle, and one named tropical storm, Earl, in the Atlantic. [ National Hurricane Center ]
Published Sept. 4, 2022|Updated Sept. 5, 2022

A quiet August has turn into a busier September with two named tropical systems traveling through the Atlantic Ocean.

While Hurricane Danielle — the first hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic season — meanders in the open Atlantic, Tropical Storm Earl is expected to bring heavy rains and gusty winds to the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, according to a National Hurricane Center update Monday morning.

Tropical Storm Earl could also become a hurricane by Wednesday, forecasters said.

After spending most of the day as a tropical storm, Hurricane Danielle saw its maximum sustained winds intensify to 75 miles per hour late Saturday night.

By Monday afternoon, Danielle was about 915 miles west-northwest of the Azores in the North Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. It is expected to meander over open water for the next few days, with a slow weakening trend forecast to begin Tuesday and a turn toward the east-northeast expected Tuesday night.

There was no immediate threat to land.

Danielle, which first became a hurricane just before 10:50 a.m. Eastern on Friday, had slipped into a tropical storm early on Saturday before regaining its status as a hurricane.

Hurricane Danielle’s hurricane-force winds now stretch 25 miles from its center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend out 140 miles, forecasters said Monday.

By Monday morning, Danielle was about 940 miles west of the Azores in the North Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour. [ National Hurricane Center ]

Tropical Storm Earl was located about 190 miles north St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, moving north-northwest at about 5 miles per hour, according to the hurricane center’s update early Monday.

Earl’s maximum sustained winds were near 65 miles per hour and its tropical storm-force winds extended out up to 105 miles.

While no coastal watches or warnings are in effect, forecasters warned parts of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico can expect heavy rainfall of up to 6 inches and gusty winds, according to forecasters.

Rapid rises on rivers and mudslides in areas of steep terrain are also possible, especially across the central interior region of Puerto Rico.

Slow strengthening of Tropical Storm Earl is expected during the next few days.

Tropical Storm Earl is expected to slowly gain strength over the next few days. [ National Hurricane Center ]

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, forecasters are also eying a tropical wave located just off the African coast. An area of low pressure could form later this week, but the chance of storm formation in the next 48 hours is about 10%, according to the hurricane center early Monday morning. Formation by the end of the week remains low, at 40%.

Danielle and Earl are the first named storms to form in the Atlantic since early July.

Despite a relatively quiet start to hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agency announced in early August it is still expecting an above-normal hurricane season with 14 to 20 named storms this year.

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