MIAMI — Tropical Storm Omar formed off the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Nana approached the coast of Central America, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.
Forecasters predict Nana will strengthen to a hurricane by the time it makes landfall Thursday and said people in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula should closely monitor the storm’s progress. Strong winds, a dangerous storm surge and very heavy rainfall causing flash flooding are likely.
An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft crew flew into Nana as it took shape south of Jamaica, recording maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, with higher gusts. Nana was moving west at 18 mph on a path that could damage Central America on Wednesday and Thursday.
Nana and Omar are the earliest 14th and 15th named storms on record, beating the 2005 arrivals of Nate on Sept. 6 and Ophelia on Sept. 7, according to Colorado State University Professor Phil Klotzbach.
The National Hurricane Center expects Tropical Storm Omar to be short-lived. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph Tuesday evening, with little change expected overnight. Omar was 225 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving east-northeast at 15 mph. Forecasters predicted it will weaken Wednesday night.
Omar, which was previously called Tropical Depression 15, formed off North Carolina’s coast Monday.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm is not expected to approach land.
Swells from Omar were affecting parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but no watches or warnings were issued by the center.
“The area worth watching is the one north of Venezuela,” said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers of Nana. “All the forecast models take it right into the Yucatán, but if it moves north toward the Gulf of Mexico, we would need to be more concerned.”
Residents of Louisiana and Texas are still recovering from Category 4 Hurricane Laura, which hit last week with 150 mph winds and a storm surge that officials said was as high as 15 feet in some areas.
Tim Darnell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this report.
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