(Photo: National Hurricane Center)
Hurricane season is still in full swing, and while Hurricane Katia is not expected to make landfall, experts are advising those on the East Coast, including Long Island, to closely monitor its path.
Hurricane specialist Todd Kimberlain told the Associated Press that even though it’s looking less likely that Katia will hit land, the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions should still keep an eye on the storm.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported late Monday morning that Katia was strengthening and had developed a large eye. The storm’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 110 mph, making it a strong Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Katia is expected to become a major hurricane as it continues to strengthen throughout the day. A major hurricane is defined as at least a Category 3 storm. It is located approximately 540 miles south of Bermuda and is moving northwest at around 13 mph. There are currently no coastal watching or warnings in effect.
Meteorologists said that even if the storm continues its current track, winds and large wave swells could still affect the East Coast as it travels north. These swells will most likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Katia is expected to be north enough to affect Long Island by around 8 a.m. Friday.
Just last week the East Coast was battered by Hurricane Irene. By the time the storm hit New York it had downgraded to a tropical storm, but still caused widespread damage and power outages. As of Monday at 11:30 a.m. 1,340 Long Island Power Authority customers were still without power, going on their ninth day without electricity. In all the storm left 523,000 Long Island ratepayers in the dark.
With Associated Press
