Ray Hawthorne
Meteorologist-
The season's ninth named storm is likely to be a major hurricane before it makes landfall along the central Gulf coast some time on Sunday.
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Aircraft reconnaissance found sustained winds around 40 mph, so the depression is now Tropical Storm Ida. Ida is about 100 miles west-southwest of Jamaica and 130 miles from Grand Cayman. Additional strengthening is forecast and Ida is likely to be a hurricane on Friday as it reaches western Cuba. Rapid intensification is likely in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.
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A new tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form Thursday afternoon or evening over the western Caribbean. Atmospheric conditions favor strengthening once it enters the southern or western Gulf of Mexico this weekend.
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The tropics are likely to take a break most of this week after Tropical Storm Henri's landfall in New England Sunday afternoon. That break is expected to be short-lived.
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Grace is moving toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Tropical Storm Henri is spinning south of Bermuda. Neither are likely to affect the Southeast United States, but a large outbreak of Saharan dust should be more noticeable later this weekend.
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A Tornado Watch is in effect until 7pm for much of the Upstate and a portion of the western Midlands. The watch includes Clemson, Anderson, Greenvile, and Spartanburg areas. It extends eastward to Rock Hill, Newberry, and Saluda counties, and southward into Edgefield county.
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Tropical Storm Fred was intensifying Monday on approach to landfall in the Florida Panhandle Monday evening. Its outer rain bands are likely to bring heavy rain and the possibility of isolated tornadoes on Tuesday to a portion of the Palmetto state.
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Strong wind shear and interaction with Cuba caused Fred to weaken to a tropical wave late Saturday morning. It regained tropical storm status Sunday morning.
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Tropical Storm Grace has weakened to a depression and it is following a path quite similar to Fred's so far.
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Potential Tropical Cyclone 6 is close to becoming the season's sixth named tropical storm in the Caribbean, and may cause direct effects over a portion of Florida over the upcoming weekend.