One year ago yesterday, Tropical Storm Debby formed on Aug. 3, 2024, and caused widespread and severe flooding across the Eastern United States. Last night, the National Hurricane Center declared Tropical Storm Dexter, and so, it’s time for another D-brief.
At 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, a low-pressure system of winds over 50 mph was detected 255 miles northwest off the East Coast. As of 11 a.m. today, the National Hurricane Center said the storm is moving “northeast away from the U.S. East Coast with little change in strength”—and is now more than 450 miles away from nearest landfall in North Carolina.
“This general motion is forecast to continue for the next couple of days.”
As for the projected strength of the storm, Miami NWS Hurricane Center’s models are split on whether an atmospheric disturbance moving south from Canada will cause the storm to accelerate northeastward or leave Dexter behind as weaker post-tropical cyclone, according to the 11 a.m. report.
“Intensity-wise, Dexter is likely to face an increasingly hostile environment,” said the report. “Thus, only a little additional strengthening is shown in the forecast for today…Still, Dexter’s final structure remains quite uncertain.”
In short, “there are no significant impacts expected to land,” wrote NWS Science and Operations Officer Carl Barnes in an email at 11:45 a.m. today.
As for what to look for closer to home, “We’ll be watching for a potential low to develop off the Southeast coastline toward the end of the week,” posted WTOC meteorologist Andrew Gordon on Facebook. “If this develops, we could have increased rain chances along with an increased risk for rip currents.”
The National Weather Service’s guidance on how to prepare for hurricane season can be found at weather.gov/safety/hurricane.
Jillian Magtoto covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. You can reach her at jmagtoto@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: New Tropical Storm Detected Yesterday, But Landfall Not Expected
