Hurricane Tammy Radar Image

H ere's where Tammy lies today . Hurricane Tammy Radar Image ...

and where it's headed: Tammy's center is simply east of Guadeloupe as it moves toward the northwest. Tammy has actually enhanced modestly since Friday night.

The storm enhanced into a cyclone on Friday morning in the tropical Atlantic. This is an unusual place for a cyclone to form this late in the year, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University.

By early in the week ahead, Tammy must turn northward, then northeastward out to sea and not be an issue for the continental United States.

The route northward away from the Caribbean has actually become less specific. Tammy was at first expected to be captured by a cold front by the middle of the upcoming week, but computer system assistance is now suggesting that the storm might drift around between Puerto Rico and Bermuda for a long time.

Cyclone Katrina (August 2005) became a big and extremely effective hurricane that triggered massive damage and considerable loss of life. It is the costliest typhoon to ever hit the United States, going beyond the record previously held by Cyclone Andrew from 1992.


Cyclone Katrina - Wikipedia
The largest loss of life in Hurricane Katrina was because of flooding triggered by engineering flaws in the flood security system, especially the levee around the city of New Orleans. Ultimately, 80% of the city, as well as big areas in neighboring parishes, were flooded for weeks.

Hurricane warnings have now been released for numerous islands in the northeast Caribbean. That means hurricane conditions are expected in some of these areas. You can see the current warnings and watches in the map below.

Heavy rainfall, strong winds and high surf from Tammy must spread out throughout the eastern Caribbean islands through Saturday. Those effects will last through at least early Sunday in some areas.

Rain overalls could be 4 to 8 inches (locally approximately 12 inches) in the Leeward Islands. The northern Windward Islands may see 2 to 4 inches of rain (locally as much as 6 inches). Parts of eastern Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands could see 1 to 2 inches of rains (in your area as much as 4 inches).

T he heavy rainfall could trigger flooding and mudslides in a few of these locations.

Norma, now a Category 1 storm as of 2 p.m. ET, is expected to move over or near parts of Mexico's Baja California Sur-- consisting of Cabo San Lucas-- late Saturday afternoon or early evening, the National Hurricane Center said.

Air Force Reserve Typhoon Hunters observed Norma's center located offshore simply west of Cabo San Lucas on Saturday afternoon, and cyclone and conditions were occurring over some areas of of southern Baja California Sur, according to the hurricane center.

Norma is anticipated to be slightly weaker by the time it strikes land, but it still will be a hurricane that could bring dangerous conditions to a tourist-friendly area that's home to a few hundred thousand people, the cyclone center stated.

In the Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, Hurricane Tammy-- a Category 1 storm since Saturday afternoon-- has actually activated typhoon warnings for parts of the Leeward Islands, a chain of several island nations and areas in between the Caribbean Sea and the open Atlantic. Tammy's winds picked up speed to 85 mph.

Neither storm is a threat to the US.

In the Atlantic, Tammy maintained maximum continual winds of 85 mph and was focused about 25 miles north-northeast of Guadeloupe, the National Cyclone Center said at 2 p.m. ET.

The Classification 1 hurricane was located about 50 miles southeast of Antigua by Saturday afternoon, the typhoon center said.

Tammy is anticipated to move near or over portions of the Leeward Islands-- including Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda-- through Saturday night, and after that move north of the northern Leeward Islands on Sunday.

Hurricane-force winds extended external up to 25 miles from the storm's center and tropical storm-force winds extended outside up to 125 miles.

Hurricanes in this part of the Atlantic are rare for late October. Tammy is only the third hurricane to form this far southeast in the Atlantic given that 1900, according to hurricane professional Michael Lowry.

It's also the latest-forming typhoon in this part of the Atlantic given that 1966, according to Phil Klotzbach, a research study scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University.

Typhoon professionals previously alerted cyclones might form in uncommon locations later in the season this year because of the remarkably warm Atlantic Ocean.

A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is possible for parts of the Leeward Islands.

Heavy rainfall will be one of the storm's most major dangers and might lead to flash flooding and mudslides. Rainfall overalls for the Leeward Islands are anticipated to be 4 to 8 inches, however might reach a foot in places where the heaviest rain establishes. Rain should be lighter in Puerto Rico and the British and US Virgin Islands, where 1 to 2 inches of rain is most likely.

Conditions will start to enhance from south to north across the island chain by late Sunday as the storm moves north out of the region.

With Tammy in the Atlantic, only two names are left-- Vince and Whitney-- on the basic Atlantic storm name list before the hurricane center turns to an alternate list of names.

Hurricane Tammy