Forecasters Eyeing Potential Tropical Storm Along East Coast

ACROSS AMERICA — In what is turning out to be a busy hurricane season, weather officials on Monday were watching multiple storm systems that threatened the East Coast, including a tropical storm brewing in the Atlantic that's expected to target a stretch from northeastern Florida to North Carolina this week.

In a news release Monday, Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather's chief on-air meteorologist, labeled one unnamed storm churning in the ocean "homebrew," saying stalled fronts could be a factor in creating homebrew-type storms.

AccuWeather said the low-pressure system could hit portions of the East Coast by the end of the week due to atmospheric energy and a stalled front.

"The Gulf Stream, which is a current that originates from the Caribbean, transports warm water along much of the East Coast. Water temperatures in this zone are currently well into the 80s and well above the minimum threshold needed for tropical development to take place," AccuWeather said in the release.

Meanwhile, the Weather Channel on Monday said the storm has a low chance of becoming a depression or a named storm, and will likely become subtropical.

The East Coast could experience significant rain, wind and high surf conditions this week into the weekend, the weather channel said.

According to AccuWeather, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms could affect the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic coast Friday and Saturday.

"The rain may continue to advance into upstate New York and part of New England from Saturday night to Sunday," AccuWeather reported.

Hurricane Nigel Churns In Atlantic

Also on the radar of weather forecasters is Hurricane Nigel, located in the central Atlantic. The hurricane should not threaten land and should move away from Bermuda this week, the Weather Channel said.

Nigel was spinning at about 80 mph Monday in the Atlantic and heading northwest at about 12 mph. While it's still early to say where Nigel would end up, the latest forecast model had the storm making a northeastern turn, avoiding landfall on the East Coast and heading toward northern Europe by Saturday morning.

Tropical Wave Forms Near Africa

A third storm, a tropical wave near the African coast, should leave the area by Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

"Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for gradual development of the wave thereafter, and a tropical depression is likely to form late this week or this weekend while the system moves westward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic," the agency said.

By the end of the week or over the weekend, the tropical wave is expected to form into a tropical depression. Over the next seven days, it has a 70 percent chance of tropical formation, the weather service said.

With an ongoing hurricane season, the Weather Channel said the next 10 weeks should bring additional tropical storm systems.