Hurricane Season May Not Be Done With Us Yet

The Atlantic hurricane season technically runs through the end of November. Storms forming that late are relatively rare, but they do happen, and can be fairly destructive even as the ocean’s heat — hurricane fuel — has begun to ebb. One such storm may be on the way now.

Tropical depression 18 is currently ambling through the southern Caribbean, south of Jamaica. It is forecast to become a hurricane by Wednesday morning, when it will cross western Cuba and then continue north through the Gulf of Mexico. It is moving relatively slowly, and will still be in the Gulf on Saturday, when at least at this point the models think it will diminish to tropical storm status before possibly approaching the Louisiana coastline.

That part of the Gulf Coast has been largely spared during this disastrous season, while Florida and of course the inland areas Helene mangled bore the brunt. For the moment, the National Hurricane Center says Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Florida Keys should be paying wary attention, while the uncertainty in its track beyond that is too much to really plan for yet.

Meanwhile, tropical storm Patty has been grumpily churning far out in the eastern Atlantic, now weakened to “remnants” status but taking aim at the Portugal coast, a totally normal thing for tropical storms to do.