After a slow start to hurricane season, the tropics are finally starting to heat up. Yesterday's Tropical Depression 9 strengthened overnight and was named Tropical Storm Humberto as of the 5am Monday morning advisory. Humberto is currently bringing heavy rains and gusty winds to the Cape Verde Islands. It is expected to strengthen quickly over the next couple of days, and the National Hurricane Center expects Humberto to become the first hurricane of the 2013 season. After it passes the Cape Verde Islands, Humberto is forecast to turn northeast into the Atlantic Ocean and avoid any other contact with land. It is currently no threat to the U.S. and should dissipate by the end of next week.
Elsewhere in the tropics, the poorly organized remnants of Gabrielle are sitting approximately 500 miles south of Bermuda. The National Hurricane Center has given the system just a 20% chance at any further development. The disturbance is expected to drift northeastward and dissipate over the next few days.
