Humberto Continues to Intensify; Watching 97L in the Tropical Atlantic

Hurricane Humberto flexed its muscles on Monday as it spun about 300 miles off the Southeast U.S. coast. Humberto’s top sustained winds were 90 mph, according to the 5 pm EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Humberto could present a serious threat to Bermuda by Wednesday or Thursday as it accelerates in that direction. Large swells can be expected along the coast of Bermuda and the Southeast U.S. over the next several days.

Humberto carved out a distinct eye on visible satellite imagery Monday, as the hurricane took on a much more classical structure, with spiral rainbands and prominent upper-level outflow. Humberto’s shield of showers and thunderstorms (convection) expanded, with “hot towers” (pockets of intense convection) sprouting within the eyewall. Just after 3 PM EDT Monday afternoon, Hurricane Hunters found flight-level winds of 78 knots (90 mph). Humberto’s surface pressure continues to drop steadily, down to 972 mb as of 5 pm EDT. The hurricane has been strengthening at a moderate pace: about 20 knots of wind speed per 24 hours, compared to the 30 knots in 24 hours that would qualify as rapid intensification

More