Eta, Theta Moving in the Atlantic, Poses No Threat To Land

After darting across the Southeast Thursday, now Post-Tropical Cyclone Eta will advance farther into the Atlantic Ocean today, no longer a threat to land. Tropical Storm Theta also continue to churn in the wide open northeastern Atlantic.

As of 4 a.m. EST, Post-Tropical Cyclone Eta was located near 33.3 N and 76.8 W, or about 85 miles southeast of Wilmington, N.C. Eta has sustained winds of 45 mph. It is moving east-northeast at about 21 mph. Eta’s minimum central pressure is 1004 mb, or 29.65 inches of mercury.

Eta will continue to interact with a cold front advancing off the Eastern Seaboard today, causing it to quickly move to the northeast over the next few days. It no longer possesses sufficient tropical characteristics but could still bring heavy rain and high winds to any shipping lanes it moves over. By Sunday, it will be absorbed by the upper-level atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the record-setting 29th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Theta is located near 31.9 N and 24.9 W, or about 445 miles south-southeast of the Azores. Theta is packing top sustained winds of 60 mph, making it a strong tropical storm. It is churning to the east at 12 mph. Theta has a minimum central pressure of 993 mb, or 29.33 inches of mercury.

The latest forecast trends have Theta remaining a strong tropical storm through next weekend. Theta will be steered eastward the next few days, before turning northeastward and passing several hundred miles south of the Azores by Saturday and Sunday.

Even though the calendar has flipped to November, the hurricane season is still alive and well. Officially, the season runs until November 30, but it should be noted that the Atlantic Basin has produced named storms in every month of the year. Just last year brought Tropical Storm Sebastien in mid-November, and 2016 saw Hurricane Otto take a similar path into Central America.