As Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda churn in the Atlantic, the Treasure Coast is under a wind advisory until 4 a.m. Sept. 30.
Wind conditions on the Treasure Coast are expected to bring north to northwest winds, clocking in at 20 to 30 mph, with gusts of up to 40 mph anticipated, according to the National Weather Service forecast for Sept. 29.
There are also high surf advisories for all Treasure Coast counties in effect until 4 a.m. Oct. 2 and a high rip current risk in effect through late night on Oct. 1
Over the weekend, the Treasure Coast was under a tropical storm watch, according to the National Weather Service Melbourne.
What is a rip current?
Rip currents are powerful, concentrated channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, most often found at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and near structures such as jetties and piers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Rip currents typically form at low points or breaks in sandbars near jetties, groins and piers. The speed of rip currents can vary, but a typical speed is one to two feet per second; speeds up to eight feet per second have been recorded, according to NOAA.
What is a high surf advisory?
A high surf advisory is described by the National Weather Service as, “battering surf conditions will result in major coastal erosion. There is a high potential for surf to breach dunes and seawalls in many locations.”
In these conditions, swimming is not advised.
What is a tropical storm warning and watch?
A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface winds ranging from 39-73 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
What are tropical storm and hurricane wind speeds?
Here are the wind speeds that differentiate a tropical storm from a hurricane:
Treasure Coast weather impacts from Humberto, Imelda
Meteorologists are warning people on the Treasure Coast to stay out of the ocean as Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto remain off the coast.
“We’ve been seeing some eastward shifts in the forecast trend over the last couple of days, and at this time, Tropical Storm Imelda is forecast to pass comfortably east of the area so we wouldn’t be seeing anything in the way of sustained tropical storm force winds or significant storm surge,” said Robert Haley on Sept. 29, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Wind advisory underway for Treasure Coast due to Tropical Storm Imelda, Hurricane Humberto
Reporting by Gianna Montesano, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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