Tropical Storm Gonzalo Could Become Hurricane On Thursday

MIAMI, FL — Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed in the Atlantic Wednesday, becoming the seventh named storm of the season, according to the National Hurricane Center. Gonzalo is expected to become a hurricane on Thursday.

"A general westward motion at a faster forward speed is expected during the next few
days," the National Hurricane Center said. "Additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Gonzalo is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday."

Gonzalo was located about 1,205 miles east of the southern Windward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as of late Wednesday morning. Weather officials said Gonzalo was moving west at 14 mph.

"As far as just number of storms, certainly it’s the earliest that we’ve reached the seventh named storm, but all seven, at least up until now, have been tropical storms," Warning Coordination Meteorologist Robert Molleda with the National Weather Service in Miami told Patch. "None of those seven have reached hurricane strength. In that sense, that’s more typical."

See related: 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season List Of Names

Gonzalo beat 2005's Gert by two days to become the earliest seventh named storm of the season in the Atlantic basis.

Molleda said it's too early to say whether Gonzalo will pose a threat to the U.S. coast, but he said the current track appears to show the storm staying south of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In its seasonal outlook, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted with 70 percent certainty there will be 13 to 19 named storms with sustained winds of at least 39 mph (tropical storms). Of those, six to 10 are expected to become hurricanes with sustained winds of at least Category 1 strength, including three to six major hurricanes of Category 3 and higher with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

"We typically don’t see the tropical cyclones of hurricane strength, especially major strength, ... until we get to August," Molleda said. "August, September, October, those are the three months that represent the peak of hurricane season."

NOAA's seasonal outlook is consistent with the prediction of Colorado State University meteorologists, who are calling for 19 named storms in 2020, including Gonzalo and the other storms that have already formed.

Of those, Colorado researchers expect nine to become hurricanes and four to reach major hurricane strength with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or more. This is a slight increase from an early April prediction of 16 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes.