"Isaac" Still Pouring on the Gulf; "Kirk" in the Central Atlantic; Strong Wave Mvoing Into Central Atlantic Should Become "Leslie"..........."Isaac": (handy storm "quick look" from NOAA - click here)
"Isaac" is slowly moving northwest through Louisiana, & the center will move into Arkansas by Fri. The western part of the circulation has been eroded by dry air but the eastern half of the circulation still has vigorous convection with flooding rains, strong winds & a few tornadoes. The storm will eventually move all the way north then east into parts of the Mississippi Valley/Ohio Valley which could help at least temporarily relieve the severe drought to some degree.
Radar imagery below courtesy S. Fl. Water Management District (impressive southerly tropical fetch):
"Kirk" in the Central Atlantic is a compact but rather powerful storm & could become a hurricane before reaching cooler water & high shear. The storm will recurve far from any land areas staying well east of Bermuda.
Yet another strong wave is at a lower latitude than "Kirk" & rolling westward. At least some upper level ridging will rebuild across the Northern Atlantic during the next week, & the extent of this ridging (Bermuda high) will have a lot to do with how far west across the Atlantic this wave might -- or might not -- go. Most forecast models develop the wave into "Leslie" into the Western Atlantic next week but trending toward a recurve before reaching the Caribbean or Eastern U.S. The Bermuda High does appear to contract for awhile which would help the recurvature process as -- at the same time -- an upper level trough moves into the Northeast U.S. Such a set-up could bode well for the U.S. but is far from a "done deal".
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