Publication Date August 18, 2016 | Weather Underground

Fiona Forms in Tropical Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean
Visible satellite image of Tropical Storm Fiona. Image: NASA
Visible satellite image of Tropical Storm Fiona. Image: NASA

A tropical depression in the remote eastern tropical Atlantic became Tropical Storm Fiona on Wednesday afternoon. At 11:00 am EDT Thursday, Fiona was located at 16.4°N, 40.5°W, more than 1000 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, with top sustained winds of 45 mph. Fiona is a small storm, with tropical-storm force winds extending just 35 miles from its center.

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The main variable in Fiona’s track is its intensity. Should Fiona remain weak, it is more likely to be steered by low-level winds and continue moving on its present track. The more Fiona manages to intensify, the more likely it would be to arc toward the north, as upper-level winds become more important in steering the storm.

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Several members of the 00Z Thursday ECMWF ensemble weaken Fiona below the tropical storm threshold (40 mph sustained winds) by the weekend. 


The tracks and intensities of all tropical storms and hurricanes in August (1851 - 2015) that passed within 2° latitude and longitude of Fiona’s position as of Thursday morning, August 18, 2016