5 PM EDT on Kate and Juan, nice friends isn't it?

[WXBUFFJIM]

Good afternoon everyone. It sounds like Juan and Kate are becoming very good friends these days because both names appear very clearly out in the Atlantic late this afternoon.
Hurricane Juan has become a category 2 hurricane on the saffir simpson hurricane scale while Tropical storm Kate is a minimal tropical storm at this stage of the game.

Hurricane Juan is now centered 645 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia or if you're plotting at home, 35.9 degrees north latitude, 63.4 degrees west longitude. A rain and wind warning continues in effect for Nova Scotia. A hurricane force wind warning continues in effect for the marine areas of Nova Scotia.

Category 2 hurricane Juan is moving towards the north northwest at near 8 mph. A turn to the north with a increase in forward is expected tonight through Sundayu. This will bring Juan very close to Halifax, Nova Scotia by late Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to category 2 criteria at 105 mph with higher gusts. Some fluctuations in intensity are possible over the next 12-24 hours followed by slight weakening and a transition to extratropical characteristics.

Hurricane force winds extend outward 30 miles from the center while the tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles. Minimum central pressure is 970 mb or 28.64 inches.


Tropical storm Kate is a minimal tropical storm right now in the far eastern Atlantic. No threat to land areas is anticipated. Kate is centered at latitude 21.5 north, longitude 44.4 west if you're plotting at home.

Motion is north northwest at 14 mph. This general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. This makes Kate the 11th named tropical storm of the 2003 atlantic hurricane season. Some further strengthening is expected during the next 24 hours. However with a track towards the north northwest and eventually due north, no land masses are expected to be impacted by this.

Minimum central pressure is 1005 mb or 29.68 inches. Another update later this evening.

Jim

[cycloneye]

Well Juan will not be so friendly to the canadians if he mantains this strengh.

[WXBUFFJIM]

So true. Hopefully he will weakened before hitting the Halifax area of Nova Scotia. Not pretty to have a strong hurricane or even just a hurricane in general hit that location.

Jim