Double hurricanes threaten East Coast as Humberto rages to Category 5

"Hurricane Humberto has become a Category 5 storm with devastating winds reaching 160 mph as it nears the East Coast. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced that the major storm reached this most severe level of tropical cyclone Saturday afternoon, surging by more than 50 mph in the last day alone. Humberto is expected to remain a major hurricane through Tuesday, when it is projected to reach its closest point to the US,"

"NHC has been tracking Tropical Depression Nine, which they believe will turn into Tropical Storm Imelda by Sunday. Saturday morning, 'Imelda' developed into tropical depression, the first stage of a tropical cyclone, where a low-pressure area forms with thunderstorms and relatively low winds. It's currently forming off the coast of Cuba with sustained winds of 35 mph, and meteorologists predict that the storm will move straight up the East Coast, passing Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas."

"Matt Devitt of WINK News in Southwest Florida revealed that this is first time in 92 years that there have been multiple Category 5 hurricanes in back-to-back years during the Atlantic hurricane season. Humberto joined Hurricane Erin, which also did not make landfall this summer, but did brings coastal flooding to the mid-Atlantic. However, forecasters are more concerned with another storm system now feared to strengthen into a hurricane right over the US."

Hurricane Humberto intensified to Category 5 with sustained winds of 160 mph after a rapid 50+ mph increase in 24 hours. Humberto is forecast to remain a major hurricane through Tuesday and approach close enough to the US to produce intense surf, coastal flooding, and deadly rip currents along East Coast beaches. Category 5 strength poses catastrophic risks to structures, infrastructure, and the environment even if the core stays offshore. The Atlantic season now includes multiple Category 5 storms in consecutive years. Tropical Depression Nine is organizing into Tropical Storm Imelda off Cuba and is predicted to move up the East Coast toward Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, with the potential for hurricane-strength conditions near the Georgia–South Carolina coast and significant flooding if the system slows or stalls.

Read at Mail Online