Welcome to Hurricane Kos, a group on DailyKos devoted to tracking, observing, and warning when tropical weather threatens. Be sure to follow Hurricane Kos for the latest updates.
A special thanks to those who support these diaries, and the Hurrcane Kos team (in no particular order):
terrypinder, noweasels, FishOutOfWater, poligirl, jdsnebraska, Lorinda Pike, and weatherdude.
Jump the fold for the latest information on this developing tropical weather situation.
After a Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigated an area of disturbed weather this afternoon off the coast of Florida, the NHC has determined that the system has strengthened and organized enough to be upgraded to Tropical Depression 2. TD 2 has 35 MPH winds, a central pressure of 1010 millibars, and is located about 100 miles north of Grand Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
The Government of the Bahamas has issued a tropical storm watch for portions of the northern half of the island nation, as TD2 is expected to become Tropical Storm Bret by tonight.
The system currently poses NO threat to the United States mainland, and is expected to move northeast and curve out to sea later this week. Folks who either live or have interests in the island of Bermuda, or anyone who is or knows folks travelling across the Atlantic by boat, should keep an eye on this system.
Here's a satellite image of Tropical Depression 2 at 2:45PM EDT:
Here's the forecast track of TD2 from the National Hurricane Center. Click the image to enlarge in a new tab/window.
Here is the current forecast wind speeds for this system as it progresses through the week. Click to enlarge in a new tab/window.
Links
National Hurricane Center
National Weather Service
Storm Prediction Center
FEMA
NHC Satellites
College of DuPage GOES Satellites
Wunderground Tropical Site
Florida State University Tropical Forecast Models
DailyKos Tropical Weather Link Library
Be sure to follow Hurricane Kos for updates on this and all tropical news from the Atlantic basin.