This year is already one of the most active for Atlantic storms and hurricanes. Now, the National Weather Service says, as if 23 named storms were not enough, there is a “zombie tropical storm.”
NWS tweeted about the phenomenon Tuesday morning. “Because 2020, we now have Zombie Tropical Storms. Welcome back to the land of the living, Tropical Storm Paulette.”
Because 2020, we now have Zombie Tropical Storms. Welcome back to the land of the living, Tropical Storm #Paulette pic.twitter.com/98QNEaTr4S
— National Weather Service (@NWS) September 22, 2020
Paulette is currently spinning off the coast of North Africa. It now has sustained winds of at least 40mph.
Paulette was originally tracked in early September. It gained strength and became a Hurricane, making landfall on Bermuda on September 14 as a Category 1 Hurricane. The east coast of the U.S. saw large sea swells and rising ocean levels.
Paulette then turned east and lost strength in the middle of the Atlantic. NWS observed the storm’s eyewall had eroded and made what they thought was their final advisory on September 16. A few days later, they observed thunderstorms wrapping around a low, forming a cyclone.
The National Hurricane Center, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says Tropical Storm Paulette will now weaken in the next day or so and is not expected to get stronger.