Hurricane Milton, pictured here, caused an estimated $34.3 billion in damages last year. (Credit: NOAA)
The first hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season will likely develop later this week, according to a report from AccuWeather.
A tropical rainstorm near the Cabo Verde Islands is expected to intensify into a hurricane as it tracks westward. Current forecasts have the storm tracking east of the U.S. though.
If the storm develops into a hurricane, it will likely be a minor one. The storm will bring heavy rain and gusty wind to the Cabo Verde Islands and potentially choppy waters to the U.S. East Coast this weekend.
“At this time, the upper air pattern late week favors the storm turning north and likely staying east of the U.S. East Coast,” said Chad Merrill, AccuWeather’s senior meteorologist, in a statement. “There can also be an increase in rough surf and rip currents along the East Coast beaches next weekend into early the following week."
The storm could be the first of several this month as hurricane season gets started. AccuWeather expects three to five named storms to develop in the Atlantic basin in August.
They’re also predicting an above-average hurricane season this year, with seven to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes that reach Category 3 or higher. A Category 3 hurricane has sustained winds between 111 and 129 miles per hour.
AccuWeather expects this year’s hurricane season to look a lot like last year’s, which caused an estimated $182.7 billion in damage, according to NOAA.
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