While Eta loses steam and becomes an extratropical low, a tropical wave in the southern Caribbean is gaining strength and is likely to become the 30th named storm of the 2020 hurricane season.
The wave has become better organized Friday morning in an area where environmental conditions are favorable for development, the National Hurricane Center said in its 7 a.m. update. The wave has a 90% chance of becoming a tropical depression or a tropical storm in the next two to five days. Although, the NHC predicts it could become a tropical depression by Friday afternoon or night.
If it does become a storm it will be the 30th named storm of the year, a number never reached in a single Atlantic hurricane season, and receive the Greek letter Iota.
The NHC predicts the storm could be a threat for Honduras and Nicaragua.
Meanwhile, Eta has become an extratropical low off the East Coast of the United States. The once powerful storm retains maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is cruising at 21 mph. Eta is 85 miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. Its tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.
Forecasters predict Eta to accelerate in speed and sprint northeast away from the U.S.
Farther east, Tropical Storm Theta is continuing its eastbound journey and is 445 miles south-southeast of the Azores. The storm is hanging on to its 60 mph maximum sustained winds and is moving at 12 mph with outward tropical-storm-force winds reaching up to 195 miles away from its center.
The NHC expects the storm to speed up Friday and turn north sometime over the weekend when it is expected to begin losing strength.
