Tropical Storm Chris Set to Become Hurricane

Tropical Storm Chris is expected to become a full-blown hurricane by the end of the day on Monday, just 24 hours after it formed.

The storm began off of the coast of North Carolina early on Sunday, as former hurricane Beryl dwindled and dissipated. According to a report by the Washington Post, Chris is expected to cause some hazards along the south eastern coast, though the Mid-Atlantic and New England states are most likely safe.

Meteorologists are predicting fearsome rip currents associated with Tropical Storm Chris anywhere between Ocean City and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Right now, the storm is just over 200 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Winds are currently moving at 60 miles per hour, but the pace is expected to quicken for two more days. The National Hurricane Center warned that Chris will officially achieve the hurricane designation by 8 a.m. on Tuesday at the latest.

Experts believe that after the storm becomes a hurricane, it will shoot off to the Northeast. Current predictions show it cutting a wide path, more or less sparing the United States’ coast. However, on Friday morning it could make landfall in Newfoundland.

Fortunately, the storm can be expected to weaken as it gets into colder and colder waters. Meteorologists are hopeful that Chris will no longer be a hurricane by the time it reaches the island. After passing over Newfoundland, models show it meandering out into the Atlantic over the weekend.

While the danger may be minimal for the U.S., the National Hurricane Center warned that this is a still a bad week to go to the beach in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

“Swells generated by Chris are expected to increase and affect portions of the coasts of North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic states during the next few days,” said a statement from the center. “These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”

Meanwhile, what is left of Hurricane Beryl has officially dropped below the standards of a Tropical Depression. The system is still causing strong thunderstorms in Puerto Rico, however, where citizens have hardly recovered from Hurricane Maria last year. The National Hurricane Center put it at a 40 percent chance that Beryl will re-organize into a tropical depression or storm again.

Experts have noted how unusual it is to see two hurricanes in the month of July. Typically, the Atlantic does not even see two named storms in July, and hurricanes are reserved more for late August and early autumn.