Hurricane Jose Could Impact America Next Week

Less than a week after the painful arrival of Hurricane Irma and her destruction, Hurricane Jose has become a bearer of bad news. Today it strengthened to a Category 1 as it lingered in the North Atlantic, confusing forecasters about its next move. The predictions have remained somewhat scattered, but it is very likely that New England will be receiving impacts in some form. Some have forecasted Jose to escape out to sea, and a few have had it crashing into land as a tropical system; this is possible anywhere from North Carolina to Nova Scotia (and while cyclonic events in Canada may seem absurd, there have been enough of them to warrant their own Wikipedia page).

Whatever happens, we will get a better understanding as we enter next week. Luckily, Jose will very likely remain a minor hurricane, with winds well below that of Irma or Harvey. But neither that nor a landfall is needed to merit dangerous surf conditions. It remains probable that the hurricane will slide by the coast without touching American soil. But if it does make landfall, it wouldn’t be a pretty scenario.

At the same time, the busy tropics off the western coast of Africa remain in turmoil. A Tropical Depression has formed off of the island country of Cabo Verde, but the effects of this aren’t clear yet, and it is almost certain to curve away from America or dissipate before its arrival. However, another developing tropical disturbance, known as an “Invest,” is trying to become organized further into the Atlantic and will likely enter the Caribbean by next week. US impacts are possible, though at this time uncertain and extremely unpredictable, so it’s best to just watch and wait. It’s been an active hurricane season already, but it is not over yet.