Tropical Storm Nigel Strengthening in Atlantic, Expected to Become Hurricane
Tropical Storm Nigel, which emerged in the open waters of the Atlantic just a few hours ago, is rapidly gaining strength and is likely to transform into a hurricane by Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm, previously known as Tropical Depression 15, officially upgraded to a tropical storm on Friday. Currently located 990 miles northeast of the Lesser Antilles and 1,115 miles east-southeast of the Bermuda Islands, Nigel is moving towards the northwest Atlantic with sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. However, the NHC has warned of additional strengthening, and Nigel is expected to reach hurricane status tonight or early tomorrow.
Furthermore, meteorologists predict that Nigel might intensify to become a major hurricane by the middle of next week. As for now, Nigel’s tropical storm force winds extend up to 140 miles from its center. No coastal watches or advisories have been issued at this time.
According to the NHC’s track graph, Nigel is projected to reach Category 3 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which classifies hurricanes based on their intensity. Other storms are also being monitored by the NHC, such as post-tropical storm Lee. Over the past few hours, Lee has impacted areas in the state of Maine in the United States as well as Nova Scotia in Canada. With maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, Lee is expected to weaken gradually over the next two days and could dissipate completely by Tuesday.
On Saturday, Lee made landfall in Nova Scotia, leaving a trail of destruction and causing power outages for over 90,000 people in Maine. The storm reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale while in the center of the Atlantic on September 6. As the storm makes its way through the United States, it is gradually losing strength.