A record-breaking storm is set to skim the top of South America in the next few days.
Tropical storm Gonzalo is gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean as it moves toward the Caribbean, and is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday. Gonzalo's name indicates it's the seventh storm of the 2020 season, and it's the earliest the National Hurricane Center has reached a "G" name in its recorded history.
Gonzalo isn't expected to be much of a threat to the islands in the Caribbean, many of which faced devastation in 2017's Hurricane Maria. After it becomes a hurricane, Gonzalo will likely calm back down to a tropical storm, the NHC predicts.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, it's an incredibly early arrival for a G-named storm. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the average date of formation of the seventh storm in a season is usually Sept. 16 — hurricane season doesn't usually begin until late summer. The previous record was held by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed July 24, 2005. Hurricane Katrina formed and brought devastation to New Orleans a month later. Still, in 2005 there were already three hurricanes, two of them major, by July 21, tweeted meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University.
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advicethe explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protectionsSpeed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central USSpeed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslidesSpeed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
