Tropical Storm Gert forms in the Atlantic, could become 2nd hurricane this season

The seventh named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed yesterday and could become a hurricane in the next few days, forecasters say.

As of Monday morning, Tropical Storm Gert was moving north-northwestward about 475 miles west-southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, the National Hurricane Center reports.

The good news is this storm is far away from land and is projected to stay that way, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical weather track

 

Source: National Hurricane Center

There are no coastal watches or warnings for Tropical Storm Gert as of Monday morning.

According to AccuWeather meteorologists, Gert will not make landfall in the United states and it will pass more than 200 miles off the Lowcountry coast by Monday evening.

Gert will bring rough surf conditions with strong rip currents to the Carolinas this week, according to AccuWeather.

Meteorologists advise anyone swimming or boating on the east coast from the Carolinas to Maryland to take caution this week as this storm moves northward.

"We expect Gert to become a strong tropical storm or hurricane by the middle of the week," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

If the storm becomes a hurricane it would short-lived because of vertical wind shear, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Gert would be the second hurricane of the season after Franklin hit Mexico last week.

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Tropical Storm Gert forms in the Atlantic, could become 2nd hurricane this season."