Tropical Storm Rina, tracking just east behind Tropical Storm Phillipe, roared to life late Thursday night (September 28) on a path that could influence both systems to merge, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).

If predictions pan out, the Rina-Phillipe merger would be the second such phenomenon observed for the 2023 Hurricane Season, after the covergence of Hurricane Franklin and Tropical Storm Jose near the end of August.

As at 5:00 am Atlantic Standard Time (AST), the centre of Tropical Storm Rina was located near latitude 18.9 North, longitude 46.6 West—some 1,740 kilometres east of the northernmost Leeward Islands.

Rina, the 18th system of the season, inches north-northwest at seven kilometres/hour and currently packs maximum sustained winds near 75 kilometres/hour, with higher gusts.

On the forecast track, NHC meteorologists say Tropical Storm Rina could undergo “slight strengthening later today, followed by little change in intensity through Saturday”, after which she is expected to begin gradually weakening by Sunday into the new week.

While posing no direct threat to land at this time, Rina’s tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 110 kilometres from its centre.

Closer to the region, Tropical Storm Phillipe continues to spiral ‘confusingly’ in the open Atlantic Ocean; with experts at the NHC anticipating that the system will loiter for the next several days.

The centre of Phillipe was located near latitude 18.5 North, longitude 55.2 West—or roughly 835 kilometres east of the northern Leeward Islands.

Phillipe is barrelling southwest at a glacial four kilometres/hour, packing maximum sustained winds at 75 kilometres/hour, wiith higher gusts.

Unlike Rina, Tropical Storm Phillipe is not forecast to further intensify in the coming days, though NHC experts contend it is “possible over the weekend”.

Outside of dangerous surf conditions for the US Virgin Islands, northern Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, Phillipe poses no direct threat to land as tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 220 kilometres
from its centre.