Hurricane Danny Officially Forms in Atlantic

Danny has officially become the first hurricane of the 2015 season.

The National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm to a Category 1 hurricane as of its 11 a.m. update. By the 5 p.m. Thursday update, Danny had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

The storm is currently centered about 1,000 miles east of the Windward Islands. It is moving toward the west-northwest around 10 mph. If it continues on its current path, the storm will be on top of Puerto Rico by Tuesday, forecasters project.

The National Weather Service is also monitoring two disturbances in the Atlantic. The first is a non-tropical low pressure system that is located southwest of Bermuda. Environmental conditions are such that forecasters anticipate “some subsequent tropical or subtropical development over the weekend while this disturbance moves slowly northward,” the weather service wrote Thursday morning.

That storm has a 60 percent chance of forming into a tropical cyclone in the next five days.

The third storm is “a tropical wave near the coast of west Africa (that) is producing some disorganized showers and thunderstorms,” the weather service said. “Environmental conditions are forecast to become marginally favorable for some development of this system by the weekend while the wave moves westward over the tropical Atlantic.”

Forecasters project the storm has a 30 percent chance of forming into a tropical cyclone in the next five days.

While the three storms pose no immediate threats to the United States, forecasters warn that the Tampa Bay area is in for more rain over the next few days. The forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of rain on Thursday and about a 50 percent chance on Friday. More storms are expected heading into the weekend, as well.

Between the afternoon storms and the disturbances brewing in the Atlantic, residents are urged to keep a close eye on the forecast.

Check out your local Patch’s homepage for an extended forecast for your neighborhood.

Graphics courtesy of the National Hurricane Center

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, with the latest information from the National Hurricane Center.