Hurricane Humberto explodes into a Category 5 storm, while Tropical Depression Nine intensifies near the Bahamas — threatening to become Hurricane Imelda and target the U.S. southeast.
The Atlantic hurricane season reached a ferocious peak on Saturday, September 27, as Hurricane Humberto strengthened into a Category 5 monster storm, packing catastrophic winds and surging seas as it churned westward. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) described Humberto as “extremely dangerous,” warning of life-threatening surf and rip currents along parts of the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts.
At the same time, a newly formed system, Tropical Depression Nine, has begun drawing even more concern. Located near the central and northwestern Bahamas, the system is expected to intensify rapidly through Sunday night. Meteorologists forecast that it will be named Tropical Storm Imelda by late Saturday or early Sunday, with a high probability of strengthening into a hurricane soon after.
Forecasters are particularly alarmed by its trajectory: models show Imelda taking aim at the southeastern United States in the coming days, raising the risk of widespread coastal flooding, storm surges, and destructive winds.
Emergency officials across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas are on high alert, urging residents to monitor official advisories and prepare evacuation plans if necessary. For communities still recovering from past storms, the possibility of back-to-back hurricanes underscores the severity of this year’s Atlantic season.
