Will the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season emerge this week?
Invest 97L, a developing system in the eastern Atlantic, officially strengthened into Tropical Storm Erin, early Monday, Aug. 11.
AccuWeather forecasters predict the system could strengthen into a hurricane by Thursday, Aug. 14, and possibly even into a major hurricane — of Category 3 or greater — by Aug. 16. Historically, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season forms Aug. 11.
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Will Hurricane Erin form this week? Track Tropical Storm Erin
Tropical Storm Erin began in the far eastern Atlantic near Africa and is now moving west-northwest to northwest across the central Atlantic.
As of the latest advisory on Aug. 11, Invest 97L formed into Tropical Storm Erin early Monday, Aug. 11, with a good chance for further development.
NOAA hurricane tracker: See spaghetti models for Tropical Storm Erin
Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
Will Tropical Storm Erin impact Texas?
It’s too early to tell if Tropical Storm Erin will affect the U.S. directly, but it’s unlikely to continue its path to Texas.
Current spaghetti models mostly show the system drifting west-northwestward, well offshore the U.S. East Coast, moving into the open Atlantic near the Sargasso Sea, northeast of the Turks and Caicos. However, tropical systems can change course quickly, so forecasters are watching closely.
Even if the storm curves north and stays away from the U.S., Invest 97L could still bring increased rough surf and rip currents along the East Coast next weekend into early next week but poses little threat to Gulf Coast states.
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A warning means that severe weather — like a thunderstorm, tornado or flash flood — is occurring now or is imminent in your area. Warnings are issued based on radar data or confirmed reports and mean you should take immediate action to protect yourself.
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What tropical waves, disturbances are in Atlantic basin now? How likely are they to strengthen?
When is the Atlantic hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said.
The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.
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Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the United States as the Weather Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at baddison@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Will the first hurricane of 2025 form this week? Invest 97L becomes Tropical Storm Erin
Reporting by Brandi D. Addison, USA TODAY NETWORK / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
