Tropical Depression No. 28 forms in Caribbean, could become Tropical Storm Zeta

By Peta Sheerwood, WRAL meteorologist; Maggie Brown, WRAL multiplatform producer

As if 2020 couldn’t get any crazier, we will likely break the record for the most named storms in an active Atlantic hurricane season this year.

Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center reported Tropical Depression No. 28 formed in the Caribbean Sea. There have been 26 named storms this season. Hurricane season doesn’t end until Nov. 30, so we will probably see more named storms this next month.

If Tropical Storm No. 28 continues development, it will be called “Zeta” and will be the 27th named storm of the season tying a previous record from 2005.

As of the 5 p.m. advisory from the NHC, Tropical Depression No. 28 was about 255 miles south southeast of the western tip of Cuba and about 280 miles east southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It has maximum sustained winds of 30 mph.

Hurricane Epsilon has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm. The hurricane is expected to lift north, then east and then weaken even more in the northern Atlantic. Epsilon will likely weaken into a tropical storm on Sunday.

Because of tropic activity, there is a risk for high rip currents on the North Carolina coast. If you do find yourself in a rip current stay calm and swim parallel to the shore.

Models predict that if Zeta does form it could possibly make landfall in the United States. Even if the storm does not develop, the disturbance could still have significant impact on Florida, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, and the northwestern Bahamas.