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.
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.