Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is forecast to become Tropical Storm Humberto later on Friday or early Saturday. The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) shows the storm heading straight over the Hurricane Dorian-ravaged Bahamas, and then making its way to Florida’s east coast. The storm is currently churning about 140 miles (225km) southeast of Great Abaco Island.
The NHC reported the storm packing maximum sustained winds of 30mph (45kmh) with higher gusts.
On its current track, the storm is expected to land on the east coast of Florida on Saturday.
The NHC said: “On the forecast track, the system is anticipated to move across the central and northwestern Bahamas today, and along or over the east coast of Florida Saturday and Saturday night.”
READ MORE: Tropical Storm Humberto MAP: System on same devastating path as Dorian
Warnings are in place for the Bahamas, but authorities are advising those on the Florida coast to keep an eye on the storm’s progression and any warning updates.
The storm is expected to bring tropical-storm-force winds to parts of the Florida east coast over the weekend, as well as heavy rainfall posing the risk of flash flooding.
Major storm swell is not anticipated from this system.
There is a smaller chance of heavy rainfall further north across the Carolinas.
The NHC has an air force reconnaissance plan en route to investigate the disturbance, after which it will have a better sense of its progress.
AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said: “We are encouraging all residents, visitors and interests across the Bahamas, Florida and Cuba to closely monitor the progression of Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine.”
He added: “Until the feature actually develops, there are multiple possibilities with the track ranging from the Gulf of Mexico to the Florida Peninsula and the nearby Atlantic.
“If the system remains over open water for an extended period, then it is likely to become a tropical depression over the next few days.”