GREENSBORO, N.C. — A new storm is ready to form at any time in the Atlantic Ocean. Right now, it's being called "Potential Tropical Storm Two" as the cluster of showers and thunderstorms moves closer toward South America. The National Hurricane Center is starting to issue forecasts carrying the storm into the Caribbean Sea over the next several days.
On Monday afternoon, the NHC issued its first forecast for this storm system. The storm is currently off the northeast coast of South America, and is moving west toward the Windward Islands. It hasn't become an official tropical storm yet, because the cluster of thunderstorms hasn't developed a clear center of circulation. Once that happens, it will be called Tropical Storm Bonnie.
This westward movement will put some Caribbean Islands at risk of heavy rain and gusty winds including Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Aruba, Grenada, and others. By the middle of this week, Bonnie could become a strong tropical storm or even a hurricane in the south-central Caribbean Sea.
This storm will not pose any risk to the United States at any point.
For us, this should simply serve as a reminder that we are in Hurricane Season 2022. June is still the beginning of the season, and things are typically rather quiet for North Carolina at this point in the summer. The graphic below shows us when activity tends to ramp up. Historically, August and September are the busiest months for Atlantic Hurricanes, and that's when North Carolina is usually most at risk. It's important to know what you would do if a storm was heading our way, and to have a plan. Our biggest risks in the Piedmont with a tropical system are usually flooding rains and gusty winds.
