Tropical Storm Irene is bearing down on Puerto Rico and will move westward to the Dominican Republic and then Cuba. After that, the current forecast has the storm turning into a possible hurricane before it travels over Florida from north to south.
If Irene reaches hurricane strength, it will be the season's first such storm. Predictions revised Aug. 4 by the Climate Prediction Center stated experts believe there will be seven to 10 such hurricanes this year. If Irene continues its path, it will also be the first storm to reach major populations in the United States.
Tropical Storm Don hit southern Texas but only produced an inch of rainfall in the drought-stricken area. Irene could be much different as the storm could barrel up the entire Florida peninsula. Tropical storm warnings have been posted for the next week for the Atlantic Ocean to the east of Florida.
Irene is the ninth named storm of the season. It follows on the tail of Tropical Storm Harvey that is currently dumping rain in Belize and southern Mexico. Irene currently has wind speeds of 50 mph. A Category 1 hurricane begins with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph. Storms of this magnitude are capable of doing some damage.
The Miami Herald reports there are still many questions about Tropical Storm Irene's path and strength. It still may veer off closer to the Bahamas and miss Florida altogether. Rain may also diminish even further depending upon how long it stays over land in the Caribbean before turning northward.
Florida is under dry conditions. As much as 77 percent of the state is at least "abnormally dry" under current conditions set forth by the U.S. Drought Monitor. A quarter of Florida is suffering from an "extreme" drought. A drenching hurricane or tropical storm would clear up any signs of drought in the Sunshine State very quickly.
The moisture needs to continue to the north where Georgia is suffering through an extreme drought over the half the state. The further inland Irene can push, the better it will be in alleviating water shortages and crop damage in already dry areas of the southeast.
There is a third tropical system that formed just off the coast of Africa that currently has a 10 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours. If that one doesn't form into a system, it may be September before another tropical storm becomes a viable option for rain in the southern United States.
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