TRACKING THE TROPICS: Aside from Erin, what's brewing in the Atlantic?

We are tracking Major Hurricane Erin and another wave of energy in the Atlantic.

NEW ATLANTIC DISTURBANCE

A tropical wave located over the eastern tropical Atlantic is producing limited disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form toward the end of the week. The next tropical storm name is "Fernand".

This system should move westward to west-northwestward at about 20 mph across the central tropical Atlantic and approach the vicinity of the Leeward Islands on Friday. It is too early to know what if any impacts Florida could experience.

Hurricane models on this new wave will likely be initialized later today or tomorrow.

Erin

Erin is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with sustained winds of 140 mph. Erin is likely to remain a dangerous major hurricane through the middle of this week.

Erin is an unusually large hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles.

A turn to the north is expected on Tuesday. On the forecast track, the core of Erin is expected to pass to the east of the southeastern and central Bahamas today and tonight, and move between Bermuda and the east coast of the United States by the middle of the week.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands, North Carolina.

A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued from Beaufort Inlet to Duck, North Carolina including Pamlico Sound A Storm Surge Watch has been issued from Cape Lookout to Duck, North Carolina.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeast Bahamas. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Central Bahamas, Beaufort Inlet to Duck, North Carolina, including Pamlico Sound.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.