Tropical Storm Florence
Tropical depression #6 in the Atlantic Basin strengthened into Tropical Storm Florence today (IR image); forecasters at the National Hurricane Center utlized a CIMSS AMSU estimate of 1003 mb central pressure and 42 knot peak wind (below, left) to aid in their intensity estimate of the large developing tropical cyclone. The CIMSS satellite-derived IR/water vapor winds product (below, right) showed the presence of a large subtropical ridge located over the North Atlantic Ocean to the northwest of Florence — this ridge will likely be an important steering mechanism in the coming days as Florence continues to intensify and move toward the US East Coast.
