CHARLOTTE, N.C. — We’re now just three weeks away from the peak of hurricane season in mid-September, and the tropics are looking the part. In fact, we could have two hurricanes existing at the same time sometime this week – something that hasn’t happened so far this season. While no direct impacts are expected here in the western half of the Carolinas, now-Tropical Storm Henri could put a damper on your weekend beach plans. Here’s the latest on the two storms.
Grace
Grace became our second hurricane of the year earlier on Wednesday, and the storm is expected to continue to strengthen as it bears down on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Expect Grace to weaken after making landfall before re-emerging over the southern Gulf of Mexico, also known as the Bay of Campeche. Depending on how well the storm handles going over land, Grace should strengthen again before a second landfall over south-central Mexico. While the storm should be torn apart by the rugged, mountainous terrain on the western side of the country, some models suggest it could survive the trip and re-organize over the Pacific. Regardless, the Carolinas will not be impacted by this current iteration of Hurricane Grace.
Henri
Unlike Grace, Henri (ahn-REE) will likely impact the Carolinas this weekend. That said, we have nothing to worry about in the WCCB Charlotte viewing area. In fact, even the Carolina coastline will likely remain mostly unscathed. If you’re heading to the beach this weekend, however, you’ll need to watch out for an increased rip current risk as the storm buzzes just off to the east. While the Carolinas should get off mainly Scot-free, Henri will likely give the Northeast a harder time. In fact, model trends are leaning towards a landfall in New England sometime next week as a low-end hurricane or high-end tropical storm.
On average, the peak of hurricane season falls on September 10. Over 80% of hurricanes form between the months of August and October.
