11 am UPDATE on the entire Atlantic tropics.

[WXBUFFJIM]

The fourteenth tropical depression of the 2003 Atlantic Hurricane Season forms in the far eastern Atlantic. At 11 AM EDT, the center of Tropical Depression #14 was located near latitude 11.8 north, longitude 22.1 west or about 220 miles south southeast of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. The depression was moving toward the west at near 3 mph and this general motion is expected to continue. Some erratic motion is possible due to the slow forward motion of TD#14 and all interests in the Cape Verde Islands should monitor this situation very closely. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Some slow strengthening is forecast and the depression could become a tropical storm later today or early Tuesday. If it's named a tropical storm, it's name would be Juan. Minimum central pressure is 1007 mb or 29.74 inches.

Isabel strengthens rapidly in the eastern Atlantic and is now our second major hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic Hurricane Season. At 11 AM, the center of major hurricane Isabel was located near latitude 17.2 north, longitude 42.6 west or about 1265 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Isabel is moving towards the west northwest at near 14 mph and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph with higher gusts. This makes Isabel a dangerous category 3 hurricane on the saffir simpson hurricane scale, the second major hurricane of the Atlantic season. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours and Isabel is expected to become a dangerous category 4 hurricane later today!!!

Hurricane force winds extend outward 35 miles from the center while tropical storm force winds extend outward 115 miles. Minimum central pressure is now 962 millibars or 28.41 inches. It was at 970 millibars earlier at 5 am today. It's still deepening quite rapidly and the northern Lesser Antillies are threaten by this major hurricane in 3-4 days!!! Stay tuned.

Henri continues to move northeastward and is still poorly defined off the southeast US coast. At 11 AM EDT, the center of Tropical Depression Henri was located near latitude 32.7 north, longitude 75.6 west or about 175 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Movement was notheast at 8 mph and this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Henri is expected to lose it's tropical characteristics over the next 24 hous as it interacts with a weak frontal boundary. Thus is is expected to become extratropical. Minimum central pressure is 1006 mb or 29.71 inches.

Fabian is extratropical in the north Atlantic, but remains a very strong extratropical system. The 11 AM EDT position places Fabian near latitude 49.8 north, longitude 39.2 west or about 680 miles east northeast of Cape Race, Newfounderland. Fabian is moving towards the northeast at 39 mph and this motion is expected to continue for the next day or two, Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected over the next 24 hours. However since Fabian is extratropical, the last advisory has been written on it!!!

More updates later today!!!!
Jim

[JCT777]

Thanks for the update, Jim. Looks like Henri is not going to be a major concern, but Isabel is definitely something that we need to monitor closely. And also we will need to follow TD 14 (soon to be TS Juan), as it is IMO too early to tell if this will be a fish or not.

[Lindaloo]

Great discussion Jim. Thanks

[Rainband]

Thanks JIM for the input!!