Tropical Storm Could Brush North Carolina Coast This Week

A storm headed in North Carolina's direction is strengthening and could turn into a tropical storm, but there's good news: experts are predicting it won't make a solid landfall even if it does brush the coast.

An area of low pressure that is to the west of Bermuda has strengthened into a tropical depression and has been given a 100 percent change of turning into a named storm within the next 48 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"Satellite images indicate that the area of low pressure west-southwest of Bermuda has become a tropical depression, and advisories on Tropical Depression Eight will be initiated at 11 AM EDT," NOAA states in an advisory posted Sunday, Aug. 28.

If it strengthens further, it would turn into Tropical Storm Hermine.

Even if it doesn't make landfall, experts believe it will cause showers and thunderstorms, as well as rough surf, on the coasts of North and South Carolina.

The storm isn't expected to get much stronger as wind shear is expected as it gets close to the coast, and then a cold front likely will send the storm back into the Atlantic Ocean by midweek, according to an Accuweather report.

Meanwhile, a weak area of low pressure between Florida and Cuba has a 60 percent change of turning into a tropical storm within the next five days as it slowly makes its way toward the Gulf Coast.

Also, a tropical wave moving off the west coast of Africa has a 60 percent chance of turning into a tropical storm over the next five days.

Image of Hurricane Gaston (2016) via Wikimedia