Gordon was a tropical storm in the North Atlantic on Friday morning Eastern time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest warning.
The tropical storm had sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.
All times on the map are Eastern Time. From the New York Times
Where will it rain?
Flash flooding can also occur inland and away from the storm center. Even weaker storms can produce excessive rainfall that can flood low-lying areas.
What does the storm look like from above?
Satellite imagery can help determine the strength, size and composition of a storm. As a storm gets stronger, it’s more likely that an eye will form in the center. If the eye looks symmetrical, it often means the storm isn’t hitting anything that could weaken it.
In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted there would be 17 to 25 named storms this year, an above-average number.
This season follows a very active year with 20 named storms – including an early storm that later received the official name “Unnamed.” It was the eighth consecutive year that the average of 14 named storms was exceeded. Only one hurricane, Idalia, made landfall in the United States.
Normally, the El Niño pattern that prevailed last season would have suppressed hurricanes and reduced the number of storms in a season. But in 2023, warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic weakened El Niño’s usual storm-inhibiting effect.
The warm ocean temperatures that drove storms last year were even warmer earlier this season, making forecasters more confident that there would be more storms this year. The higher ocean surface temperatures could also make storms intensify more quickly than usual.
To make matters worse, the El Niño pattern that was present last year is also weakening, which most likely creates a more favorable atmosphere for the formation and intensification of storms.
Hurricanes need a calm environment to form, and in the Atlantic, a strong El Niño increases wind shear – a change in wind speed and/or direction with altitude – which affects a storm’s ability to intensify. Without an El Niño this year, clouds are more likely to reach the heights needed to sustain a strong cyclone.
Sources and references
Tracking map Tracking data is from the National Hurricane Center. The map shows probabilities of 5 percent or more. The forecast is valid for up to five days, with that period beginning up to three hours before the reported time the storm reaches its last location. Wind speed probability data is not available north of 60.25 degrees north latitude.
Wind arrival table Arrival times are derived from a New York Times analysis of National Hurricane Center data. Geographic locations are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Natural Earth. Time zones are based on Google. The table shows the predicted arrival times of sustained, destructive winds of 58 mph or greater for selected cities that have a probability of those winds reaching them. When destructive winds reach a location, they have no more than a 10 percent chance of arriving before the “earliest reasonable” time and a 50 percent chance of arriving before the “most likely” time.
Radar map The radar images come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through Iowa State University. These mosaics are created by combining individual radar stations that make up the NEXRAD network.
Storm surge map Storm surge data comes from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasts include only the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Actual areas that may be inundated may vary from those shown on this map. This map takes into account tides, but not waves or flooding caused by rain. The map also includes tidal areas that are regularly inundated during typical high tides.
Satellite map Images are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Japanese Meteorological Agency via the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.
precipitation Map Data for multi-day forecasts or observed precipitation amounts come from the National Weather Service. The 1-day forecast comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
