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Tropical Storm Harvey grows, aims at Bermuda

Posted on: Wednesday, 3 August 2005, 16:51 CDT

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Harvey, the eighth tropical storm in an unusually busy hurricane season, formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday and gained strength as it took aim at the British colony of Bermuda.

Bermuda's government issued a tropical storm warning alerting the mid-Atlantic island's 62,000 residents to expect storm conditions within 24 hours.

Harvey's sustained winds grew to 60 mph (97 kph) and forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said there was a small chance it would become a hurricane before hitting Bermuda.

At 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT), Harvey was centered about 165 miles west-southwest of Bermuda and moving east-northeast at about 10 mph (16 kph).

It was expected to pass close to Bermuda and drench the island with up to 4 inches (10 cm) of rain on Thursday. After that, its projected path would keep it well away from land.

It was unusually early in the June-through-November hurricane season for eight storms to have formed in the Atlantic-Caribbean region, forecasters said.

Since 1851, half of the hurricane seasons never saw eight storms. Among those that did, the mean date of formation for an eighth storm was Sept. 29, the hurricane center said.

Forecasters predicted this year would bring a vicious hurricane season. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration raised its forecast to a potentially record-tying level on Tuesday, based on atmospheric conditions and unusually warm ocean temperatures.

NOAA expects up to 21 tropical storms this year, with as many as 11 strengthening into hurricanes and up to seven major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph).

An average hurricane season has 10 tropical storms, with six becoming hurricanes and two strengthening into major hurricanes.

Source: REUTERS

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