- - Tropical Storm Imelda To Strengthen Ahead Of Sharp Eastward Turn; Humberto To Threaten Bermuda In Coming Days

Jonathan Erdman, Jennifer Gray, Rob Shackelford, Sara Tonks, Jonathan Belles and Caitlin Kaiser September 28, 2025 at 11:35 PM

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Tropical Storm Imelda is expected to gradually strengthen as it chugs northward in the Bahamas through Tuesday, then make a slow, hard right off the Southeast Coast. States from Florida to the Carolinas should remain on alert for heavy rain, coastal flooding and dangerous surf from the combined effects of Imelda and Hurricane Humberto.

Humberto continues to churn in the Atlantic as a major hurricane, where it could bring impacts to Bermuda early this week.

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Tropical Storm Imelda: A Bahamas Threat, Southeast Sideswipe

Happening Now

Tropical Storm Imelda is moving slowly through the northern Bahamas and will continue bringing locally heavy rain for the Bahamas, eastern Cuba and eastern Florida through Tuesday.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for portions of the Bahamas, including Nassau and Freeport. Tropical storm conditions are expected to persist through Monday for the central and northwestern islands.

Previously issued tropical storm watches for the Florida coast have been discontinued.

Imelda's Forecast

The system is expected to become a hurricane by Monday or Tuesday as it tracks northward.

Imelda is most likely going to slowly turn right off the Southeast coast beginning Tuesday, toward Bermuda and out into the open Atlantic. Originally, Imelda was possibly forecast to make landfall in the Carolinas; however, models have pulled the forecast away from this option.

Models have also called for this storm to slow down, which means it could take longer to move through the Bahamas. It also means that since it will linger near the Southeast, the flood threat remains, even though a direct landfall is unlikely.

(MORE: How To Read Spaghetti Models During Hurricane Season)

How Strong Could Imelda Get?

Deep, warm ocean water, including the warm Gulf Stream current, as well as winds spreading apart aloft will fuel some modest strengthening over the next few days. It is expected that Imelda should become a high-end Category 1 hurricane by midweek, with some models even brushing Category 2 strength as the storm moves near Bermuda.

Eventually, shearing winds and some dry air could limit any further intensification of Imelda.

For these reasons, this system is expected to be a low-end hurricane as it passes offshore of the Southeast.

Forecast Wind ShearPotential Impacts

Tropical Storm Imelda will still have impacts along parts of the Southeast coast even though it will likely not make landfall. Over an inch of rainfall is expected from the East Coast of Florida to southeastern North Carolina.

Rainfall flooding will be a major concern for the coastal Carolinas, especially if the system lingers offshore for multiple days. The slower the storm moves, the heavier the rain potential.

The Weather Prediction Center has issued a multi-day threat for excessive rainfall across parts of the Southeast coast, including a Level 2 of 4 threat for the coastal Carolinas early to mid-week.

Rainfall Outlook

Days of onshore winds will generate dangerous high surf, rip currents and coastal flooding up and down the Eastern Seaboard from Florida to New England, due not only to Imelda but also to Humberto churning up the ocean. Flooding and battering waves over multiple high tide cycles could lead to beach erosion in some areas.

Significant wind impacts from Imelda on the coast are not expected, but boating off the Florida coast this week is ill-advised.

Hurricane Humberto

We're also watching Humberto, which is moving through the Atlantic as a powerful, major hurricane.

The storm is currently located over 400 miles south of Bermuda, where it is expected to bring impacts such as high surf and life-threatening rip currents Tuesday into Wednesday as it passes by on the west.

A tropical storm watch is now in effect for Bermuda where 40+ mph winds are possible in the next 48 hours.

Though it is not expected to be a direct threat to the U.S. at this time, it will likely contribute to dangerous surf and rip currents to the U.S. East Coast as soon as Monday.

Humberto underwent rapid intensification on Friday, with its maximum sustained winds jumping from 65 mph to 145 in only 24 hours. The storm then went on to become the second Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin so far this season.

Though it is back to Category 4 strength, Humberto is expected to remain a powerful, major hurricane for several days.

(MORE: What Does The Forecast Cone Mean?)

Projected PathRecap: Disturbance In The Caribbean

This tropical wave brought widespread rainfall of 1 to 4 inches across Puerto Rico, with the heaviest totals being reported across the southern parts of the territory. No surprise that this heavy rainfall brought some flood and landslide reports across Puerto Rico highways, with one car being washed out with people still inside. At least one person was killed.

The forecast for the system that eventually became Tropical Storm Imelda was fairly uncertain, and over the course of 48 hours from Friday evening, when the first cone of uncertainty was issued, to Sunday evening, the forecast changed significantly from a potential landfalling tropical storm in the Southeast to a hard eastward turn before the storm could reach the coast.

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Source: “AOL General News”