Ninth Tropical Storm to Hit the Coast Soon

The Atlantic hurricane season seems to be picking up on the tempo, with the arrival of Ingrid Thursday. Ingrid has just started forming up over the oceans, and it will be a while before it strikes the coast.

Ingrid began building up in the Atlantic Ocean, off the eastern side of the Caribbean Islands. This information was released to the media in a communiqué by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Currently, the epicenter of Ingrid is approximately 840 miles off the east of the Lesser Antilles. In its early stages, the storm is currently heading towards the northeastern parts of the Caribbean Islands. However, currently it is not possible to predict exactly which part of the coastal region the hurricane will strike first.

In its current stage of development, speed, and location, one can safely say the hurricane will not hit the coast for at least a few more days. Ingrid is at this moment moving west by northwest, at speeds of approximately 6 miles per hour.

Hurricane watchers and weather forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Institute are saying they expect Ingrid to continue moving forward at the same speed of 6 miles per hour for at least the next 24 hours.

Usually, stormy winds characterize the build-up of a hurricane. These winds can radiate outwards from the hurricane’s center for a distance of up to 50 miles. Currently, Ingrid is showing wind speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.

Wind speeds are expected to build up higher as Ingrid moves in closer to wind. While no evacuation or any such other precautionary measures are being taken at this stage, scientists and hurricane watchers at the U.S. National Hurricane Institute are adopting a wait and watch policy to determine how best to tackle Ingrid.

There were reports filtering in earlier of another hurricane, Humberto, developing over the Gulf of Mexico. Humberto finally struck with Category 1 power at Texas’ south-eastern coast. A Category 1 strike is the least powerful of the five strike levels charted on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Umberto has taken at least one life so far.

Ingrid becomes the ninth hurricane to have developed over the Atlantic Ocean during the Atlantic Hurricane season of 2007. The hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean lasts a full six months each year, kicking off on June 1 and lasting till November 30.