Storm Expected To At Least Bring Heavy Surf And Rip Currents To U.S. East Coast

With Lee moving inland and dissipating to a remnant low, more focus has shifted to Hurricane Katia.  While what’s left of Lee is still a big concern with the tremendous amount of moisture it is bringing, Katia is now a very dangerous storm at Category Three strength on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.  During the day on Monday, the storm grew in size and developed a very large eye.

After struggling with wind shear late last week, and over much of this past weekend, Katia rapidly intensified from a strong tropical storm to a Category Two Hurricane on Sunday.  The storm continued to strengthen on Sunday night and Monday morning, and became the second major hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season.  As of the 5:00 PM EDT Advisory from the National Hurricane Center on Monday afternoon, Katia was less than 500 miles south of Bermuda.

Moving to the Northwest at 12 miles per hour, Katia has maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour with gusts in excess of 140 miles per hour.  Minimum central pressure in the storm has dropped a bit more to 932 millibars or 28.59 inches of Hg.  Hurricane force winds extend 60 miles from the eye while tropical storm force winds reach out 205 miles.  The eye is very distinct.  The latest forecast track calls for Irene to continue on its current motion over the next 24 hours.

By Wednesday, the storm should begin to turn more towards the north.  Then, Katia will parallel the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States on Thursday before turning out to sea on Friday.  According to the 5:00 PM EDT forecast discussion from the NHC, the intensity forecast is calling for Katia to peak in strength over the next 12 to 24 hours.  Maximum sustained winds are expected to reach 120 miles per hour by that time before starting a gradual weakening process.

At its closest approach, Katia is expected to be within 300 to 500 miles of the East Coast of the United States.  With the close proximity of the storm along with the increased size and power, Katia is expected to at least stir up the seas.  Large swells, heavy surf, and rip currents are the primary concerns from this storm along the East Coast at this time.  The track of the storm could also impact on how far east the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee and a cold front get, and that could influence the amount of rain in parts of the waterlogged Northeast.

Hurricaneville will continue to monitor the progress of this storm as it continues to trek westward in the West Atlantic.