Storm to scrape Florida coast as it strengthens, turns seaward

Bloomberg

The storm system that’s rained on the Bahamas for two days, slowing the recovery from Hurricane Dorian, is set to become Tropical Storm Humberto when it scrapes by Florida and veers sharply out to sea.
Parts of Florida remain on a tropical storm watch and will probably get heavy rain in any case. The system has sustained winds of 30 mph (48 kilometres), just under tropical storm levels, and has sped up, moving northwest at 8 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported at 5 pm New York time.
The system could reach hurricane strength within three days, according to the centre, but by that point may be safely out in the Atlantic. While the latest forecast sees Florida once again spared after a close miss by Dorian, forecasters say the path remains subject to change.
“The models have trended towards an out-to-sea solution and that seems to be the most viable solution,” said Jim Rouiller, chief meteorologist at the Energy Weather Group outside Philadelphia. “But there is always a ‘what if.’”
A low-pressure trough moving across the Northeast is set to nudge the system out to sea, Rouiller said. When it becomes Humberto, the system will become the eighth named storm in the Atlantic in a season that’s been slightly more active than the average.
For two days, the system has been sitting over the part of the Bahamas hit hardest by Dorian.
The island nation is still struggling to recover from that storm, which stalled over the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane with 185-mph winds. At least 50 people are confirmed dead from Dorian, hundreds are missing and the Abaco islands and Grand Bahama are devastated.