Tropical Storm Humberto forms in Atlantic, forecast moves it away from NC

By Elizabeth Gardner and Mike Maze, WRAL meteorologists

Raleigh, N.C. — The tropical disturbance near the Bahamas is now a tropical storm.

The weather system strengthened to become Tropical Storm Humberto. The Friday 11 p.m. information from the National Hurricane Center has the storm now at 40 mph, moving northwest at 6 mph. It is located 130 miles east southeast of Great Abaco Island and 225 miles east southeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.

There are tropical storm warnings in effect for the northwestern Bahamas excluding Andros Island. The tropical storm watches in effect for Florida have been dropped as the storm moves away from the US.

Gradual strengthening of the storm is expected as it is eventually pulled east and away from the United States. The system could impact Florida as early as this weekend.

While the disturbance is expected to hit the Bahamas, its impact won’t be as intense as Hurricane Dorian, which hit the northern islands as a Category 5 storm.

At least 1,300 people are still missing two weeks after the hurricane.

But Dorian developed off the coast of Africa and had plenty of time to strengthen over warm waters, Gardner said.

“This one is not going to have as much time to get cranked up,” she said of the disturbance, which could still cause damage despite being weaker.

A tropical storm warning was issued for the Bahamas on Thursday, and parts of the Florida coast are under a tropical storm watch.