Far away from the U.S. mainland, Hurricane Tammy still is expected to affect Atlantic regions with large ocean swells. Image courtesy of NOAA
Oct. 18 (UPI) — Hurricane Tammy continued to strengthen over the Atlantic Ocean late Tuesday, according to forecasters who expect the system to become a “powerful extratropical cyclone” by Thursday.
A turn toward the north still is expected later this week, National Hurricane Center forecasters said, adding that a more northwestwardly track of the storm could be seen by late Thursday or early Friday.
In its 11 p.m. Tuesday advisory, the National Hurricane Center located the storm about 570 miles south-southeast of Bermuda, moving northeast at 9 mph. The system has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, which makes it a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
“Some additional strengthening is possible through early Wednesday, followed by weakening through late this week,” the center said. “Tammy is forecast to become a powerful post-tropical cyclone by Thursday.”
As the storm continues to remain far away from the U.S. mainland, forecasters say one of its biggest threats for the next few days will be its ocean swells, which will continue to affect parts of the Leeward Islands, as well as the British and U.S. Virgin Islands.