Tropical Storm Humberto nears hurricane strength

View The Original Article Here

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tropical Depression 9 strengthened Friday night into Tropical Storm Humberto. Since then, it has continued to gain strength.

The National Hurricane Center’s latest storm track keeps the storm offshore of Florida.

The National Hurricane Center says global weather models suggest the cyclone will strengthen into a hurricane by Sunday. But, by then, it’s expected to have shifted well over the Atlantic Ocean — southeast of the coast of the Carolinas.

The Friday night advisory from the National Hurricane Center took all of the Tampa Bay area out of the cone of uncertainty. However, the rip current threat is increasing along the southeastern coast of the United States. People living along the Atlantic Coast should be monitoring the water through Tuesday.

As of the latest advisory, the system was about 170 miles north-northwest of Great Abaco Island. It has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and is moving north at 6 mph.

There are no tropical storm watches or warnings in effect.

►Stay informed with all tropical weather: Check out our must-have interactive Hurricane Headquarters guide here.

WATCH: 10News is your Hurricane Headquarters