Humberto Intensifies; Imelda Forms Over Bahamas

Hurricane Humberto rapidly intensified into a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds near 145 mph and is expected to influence the mid‑Atlantic steering pattern. Tropical Storm Imelda formed over the Bahamas as the ninth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic season with roughly 40 mph winds and is moving north, forecast to reach hurricane strength within 24–48 hours. Forecast models have shifted eastward after Humberto is expected to erode a mid‑Atlantic ridge and steer Imelda away from a U.S. landfall, though Bermuda could still be threatened. Forecasters warn coastal areas from Florida through the Southeast into the Mid‑Atlantic to prepare for dangerous surf, rip currents, coastal flooding, beach erosion, gusty winds and isolated heavy rain, and several tropical watches and warnings have been issued or adjusted. Officials are mobilizing ahead of the storm: North Carolina declared a state of emergency and local advisories and watches along Florida’s east coast and in the Bahamas have been put in place or modified; separately, Southport police reported a Saturday night mass shooting at the American Fish Company waterfront in which a boater fired into the area and authorities are investigating.