Tropical wave near Bermuda brings humidity, storm chances back to eastern NC - WRAL.com

Raleigh, N.C. — There are two tropical storms in the central Atlantic Ocean – Paulette and Rene – but the more imminent threat to North Carolina comes from a tropical wave southwest of Bermuda which could gain strength over the next 48 hours.

The wave was several hundred miles from the coast of North Carolina on Tuesday, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said, but "the models want to bring it right into Wilmington."

Even if that wave becomes a tropical storm, it will be a rather weak one, Gardner said, with winds of only about 40 mph, not enough for damage to trees or buildings.

"This is not likely to be a big deal," Gardner said.

The threat along the Carolina coast is for rip currents over the next few days. The impact of the system will be felt inland, though, in the return of some muggy days and nights.

"We'll start to feel that humidity return later today," Gardner said.

The wave will build an easterly flow, or an influence on North Carolina weather that advances from the Atlantic. That is opposite the west-to-east way that storms normally progress across the Triangle, Garnder pointed out.

"These thunderstorms will pop up from east to west, with the greatest likelihood along the I-95 corridor," Gardner said.

Storms are more likely Wednesday into Thursday, but none of them are expected to be severe, she said.

Paulette, Rene unlikely to threaten NC

Out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Rene was menacing the Cabo Verde islands on Tuesday after forming off the coast of West Africa.

The Atlantic’s earliest known 17th named storm, Rene breaks the previous record of Rita, which formed Sept. 18, 2005.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Rene would produce tropical storm-force winds at 40 mph Tuesday and heavy rainfall across the island nation before curving west-northwest on a path far from other land.

Rene was moving west at about 16 mph (24 kmh).

It was one of two storms that formed Monday; Tropical Storm Paulette took shape earlier in the day in the central Atlantic, far from land.

Paulette, meanwhile, had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph with modest strengthening expected over the next few days.

The storm was centered about 1,330 miles (2,140 kilometers) west of the Cabo Verde Islands and moving northwest at 6 mph (9 kph), posing no current threats to land.

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