Awaiting the Rebirth of Tropical Storm Gaston
The rebirth of once-Tropical Storm Gaston may occur soon, potentially before the system crosses the Leeward Islands.
An intrusion of dry air forced Tropical Storm Gaston to weaken late last week. That did not lead to the total demise of the system, since Gaston continues to churn the open waters of the central Atlantic as a tropical rainstorm.
With that dry air no longer in the picture and Gaston spinning over very warm water, the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center reports that the rebirth of Gaston could occur over the next day or two.
The only factor working against Gaston strengthening is moderate wind shear (strong winds high in the atmosphere) blowing south of the system.
The rebirth of Gaston would occur as it continues to head westward toward the Leeward Islands. Gaston should cross those islands late Monday night into Tuesday.
Drenching bands of rain will accompany Gaston over the Leeward Islands, even if the system is not a tropical depression or storm.
Gusty winds could cause some tree damage and power outages if Gaston regains tropical storm status prior to reaching the islands.
How Gaston impacts the Leeward Islands, however, will pale in comparison to the beating the islands recently received from Hurricane Earl. Still, any items that remain loose in the wake of Earl may get whipped around if Gaston kicks up strong, gusty winds.
The Virgin Islands Daily News reported on Saturday that parts of the Virgin Islands may be without power until Thursday, well over a week since Hurricane Earl delivered its passing blow.
The powerful hurricane's rain and wind ruined homes, schools and farms across the Leeward Islands. In addition to the power outages, Earl downed trees and peeled off roofing. Officials were forced to close schools for a few days.
Gaston will enter the Caribbean Sea once it passes through the Leeward Islands. If the system can remain far enough south of the mountainous islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, strengthening is quite likely.
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 82° | Gila Bend, AZ |
| Low | -13° | Clayton Lake, ME |
| Precip | 1.24" | Spanish Fork, UT |
WeatherWhys®
The "Dead of Winter," the one-month period when normal temperatures reach their lowest levels, has come to an end for much of the United States. Some people may find it odd that the "Dead of Winter" does not encompass the darkest day of the year (the first day of winter). That is due to a seasonal lag in temperatures. More heat continues to be lost than is gained from the start of winter until this time of year.
This Day In Weather History
Gulf Coast 1 (899)
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North Dakota 1 (936)
this date the mercury plummeted to -60 deg. at Parshall, ND - the coldest temperature ever for the State of ND. Later the same year, the mercury soared to 121 deg. at Steele, ND - the hottest temperature ever for the state of ND.
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