Tropical Storm Ophelia is gradually becoming better organized over the Eastern Subtropical Atlantic, and is likely to become a category 1 hurricane later this week. As of 11:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Ophelia was centered near 30.7°N 37.6°W, and was moving southeastward at about 6 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 45 knots (50 mph), with an estimated minimum pressure of 1002 mb. Ophelia has changed little in organization today, but low to moderate wind shear and marginally warm sea surface temperatures should allow for some strengthening during the next few days. By Saturday, Ophelia is likely to begin to turn to the northeast, and is expected to transition into an extratropical cyclone on Sunday. Ophelia is no imminent land threat, and no watches or warnings are currently active. However, residents of the Azores and Western Europe should closely monitor the progress of Ophelia, as it is likely to pass near the area as an extratropical cyclone, possibly packing hurricane-force winds.

I will be back with another post tomorrow.