BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THREE weeks before the Atlantic Hurricane Season is scheduled to begin, the first weather system of the season has popped up but it would not be a threat to the Caribbean.
According to an 8:00 a.m. advisory carried on the National Hurricane Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, subtropical storm Ana was located at 31.5N, 77.5W, which is approximately 170 miles to the south-southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
She has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour and, while she was previously moving at a snail’s pace of two miles per hour, she has reportedly come to a standstill.
A tropical storm watch has been effected for sections of South and North Carolina and, according to the National Hurricane Center, a tropical storm warning could be issued sometime today (May 8).
A north-northwest trajectory is expected to take place today. Minor strengthening could occur within the next 48 hours.
Most expect that storms would not develop until the official start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, but Ana’s appearance, though posing no threat to the Caribbean, is a stark reminder that preparedness should be a constant and consistent state of being.
Names for the storms of the 2015 Hurricane Season are Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor and Wanda.
The season officially commences on June 1 and ends on November 30.
