Tropical Storm Kate will bring strong winds and rough seas in the area from the Southeast Coast to Bermuda into Wednesday.
According to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, "Kate will gain strength and could become a hurricane during the middle days of this week."
It is not, however, expected to cause anything more than rough surf and strong rip currents in our area. The storm is expected take a northeasterly path and not approach.
Rough seas could pose a problem for shipping and cruise interests between the U.S., Bermuda and the Bahamas through Thursday.
Gusty showers and thunderstorms combined with rough seas will increase around Bermuda into Wednesday. Gusts between 30 and 60 mph can occur.
"At closest approach, Kate is likely to pass about 240 miles north of Bermuda on Wednesday," Kottlowski said.
Kate will be over warm waters into Thursday and could become the Atlantic's fourth hurricane of the season, prior to becoming absorbed by a non-tropical system moving off the U.S. and Canada coast.
As the complex storm accelerates over progressively cooler waters of the North Atlantic later in the week, the system will begin to transform into a tropical rainstorm.
"Kate could bring strong gusty winds and heavy rain to the United Kingdom and Ireland later this weekend into early next week," Kottlowski said.
An area of disturbed weather moved northward from the Caribbean Sea late last week and organized into a tropical depression on Sunday.
Tropical Depression 12 became Tropical Storm Kate Monday morning near the Bahamas.
Kate brought rain squalls and gusty winds to the eastern islands of the Bahamas on Monday, before speeding away to the north.
It became the first tropical system in the Atlantic since Joaquin pounded the Bahamas about a month ago.
Kate could prove to be the last gasp for the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ends on Nov. 30.
"Besides Kate, we see no support for other tropical development across the Atlantic Basin through the middle of November," Kottlowski added.
Strengthening westerly winds and cooling waters bring the demise of tropical systems as the month progresses.
Following this threat, the basin may be finished churning up tropical storms and hurricanes, aside from perhaps a poorly organized drenching system in the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico.
Including Tropical Storm Kate, there have been 11 tropical storms and three hurricanes, two of which became major hurricanes during the 2015 season. All numbers were below the average of 12 tropical storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Joaquin, which blasted the Bahamas and sent tropical moisture into the Southeastern states, stopped just short of being a Category 5 hurricane. Tropical storms Ana and Bill were the only two systems to make landfall in the United States.