Tropical storms and hurricanes are eddies in the massive current of solar energy transiting from the equator, where there is lots of it, to the poles, where there is less. And when I say equator, I mean the ITCZ.
Anyway, there are three such concentration of energy in the Atlantic worthy of a close look. Igor is a hurricane of Category Four strength that will probably turn north and avoid land, but maybe not. Julia is a tropical storm that is expected to come close to hurricane strength in about two days, but will most likely not become a full scale hurricane. Julia is likely to turn north even farther out to sea than Igor.
The third blob of energy is a bunch of showers and thunderstorms linked to a large low pressure system in the west-central Caribbean that has an almost (but not quite) fifty-fifty chance of developing into a tropical storm.
There is a fourth blog that is currently located on the Mali-Niger border that I'm betting on to be the next named Atlantic storm. Karl with a K.
There are *blogs* on the Mali-Niger border?
Will they join Scienceblogs?
After all, it's time for some correction to Scienceblogs' excessive North American orientation. It would be excellent to have an African one.
[sorry, couldn't resist...]
It's looking like Igor will not be visiting North Carolina, Virginia, or Maryland. I am relieved, especially if it leaves Bermuda alone too.
My fingers ALWAYS type "blog" instead of "blog", I mean "blob" ... it's just a matter of whether I correct it or not.