Hurricane Milton: Another Day, Another Disaster

Oh joy, west-central Florida is still licking its wounds from Hurricane Milton, while the Southeast is still nursing a hangover from Helene. And guess what? The National Hurricane Center is already stalking the next perfect storm, which they'll name Nadine. Because why not?

Forecasters had their eyes on some weak system off Florida's east coast, but it fizzled out before it could earn the name Tropical Storm Nadine. Typical — always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Now, they're keeping tabs on a system in the east tropical Atlantic. It's a few hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, casually moving westward. The NHC says it might become a tropical depression eventually, with a whopping 40% chance of forming over the next week. Exciting, huh?

Meanwhile, AccuWeather says the tropics near the U.S. might be quiet for most of next week. But hold onto your hats because there's a medium risk of another tropical shitshow brewing in the western Caribbean from Thursday, Oct. 17, to Saturday, Oct. 19.

And get this: there's something called a gyre forming over Central America next week. It’s like a giant, spinning low-pressure party that could birth more storms. Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather's lead hurricane guru, says it’s a storm nursery. Can’t someone just unplug that damn thing?

Fido Finds New Home After Milton

In other news, some dog-shaped survivor from Hurricane Milton, rescued off I-75, is up for adoption. A real 'trooper,' I guess.

Where’s Tropical Storm Leslie?

Oh, and Leslie? Yeah, that storm was a fad. It became a hurricane, got downgraded to a tropical storm, and now it’s just a trough. The National Hurricane Center says it’s about 975 miles west-southwest of the Azores and poses no threat to the U.S. It’s blowing itself out with 50 mph winds and is expected to fizzle out completely soon.

Spaghetti Models and Season Wrap-Up

Check out the smorgasbord of forecast tools and models for Leslie. Don’t get too excited — the hurricane center only uses a handful of the best ones.

With over seven weeks left in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, we’re already up to 13 named storms. Next up: Nadine and Oscar. Great names, right?

According to Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach, this season has been above average, having generated 127 on the Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index. Thanks, Helene and Milton. Just what we needed.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Max Hauptman, Laura Lordi, Samantha Neely, Doyle Rice, and Jennifer Sangalang.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider .

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