Important update on the progression of Tropical Storm Danielle, which will strengthen into a hurricane ahead of Labor Day weekend

TROPICAL Storm Danielle likely to strengthen into a hurricane before Labor Day weekend.

The weather system is the first named storm since July 3 in the calmest season in more than three decades.

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Winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) were reported in the Atlantic on September 2 as the storm is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane, according to ABC11.

Category 1 hurricanes typically produce gusts between 74 and 95 miles per hour and short-term power disruptions when they make landfall.

But Danielle is currently about 890 miles west of the Azores and major disruption to Americans over Labor Day weekend is not expected.

National Hurricane Center officials have warned the winds could pick up in the coming days.

It’s possible Danielle could become a Category Two hurricane by Labor Day, according to WUSF.

Winds could potentially hit 100mph on Sunday, potentially disrupting shipping in the Caribbean.

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said: “Danielle does not appear to pose a threat for the landfall next week, however shipping interests should be aware of the location and strength of the storm.”

The storm is expected to move in a north-easterly direction towards Iceland in the coming days, with wind speeds decreasing.

This is because the weather system will move to cooler waters, meteorologists say.

But thunderstorm activity appears to have picked up in a low-pressure area off the coast of Cuba.

The weather system known as Invest 91L is moving northwest toward the US, but is expected to curve away before reaching the coast.

It is possible that a depression will form if the unsettled weather continues for the next few days.

Experts say the Atlantic hurricane season got off to the quietest start in 30 years.

There have only been three named tropical storms so far this year — Alex in early June and Bonnie and Colin in early July.

It’s the first time since 1992 that no named storms formed in the Atlantic basin between July 3 and late August, said hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach.

August became only the third time in 60 years without a named storm.

dr Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University, said, “The long quiet stretch was quite surprising given the robust La Nina in the tropical Pacific and warmer than normal tropical Atlantic surface temperatures.”

QUIET MONTH

Dry air from the Sahara is said to linger over the western Atlantic, preventing storms from forming.

dr Kim Wood, an expert at Mississippi State University, said only five seasons since 1966 through August 20 have had lower overall storm activity.

But the unusually calm start to the season doesn’t mean storms wouldn’t come later, she warned.

University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said, “It was surprisingly and eerily calm in the Atlantic.”

Depressions in the Atlantic basin are officially defined as tropical storms — and given names — when winds reach 40 mph (63 km/h).

It comes just weeks after Las Vegas was hit by a torrential rainstorm that left some of its iconic casinos inundated.

Social media users posted shocking footage of water pouring into casinos and inundating blackjack tables in the populated city of Nevada.

In early June, Tropical Storm Alex killed four people in Cuba before dumping 11 inches of rain in Miami.

In early July, Hurricane Bonnie – with winds reaching 185 km/h – killed at least two people in Mexico and caused flooding in Nicaragua.

And Tropical Storm Colin on July 4 caused travel chaos with thousands of delayed or canceled flights across the country.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, typically peaking in mid-September.

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