Bill is now a hurricane, the first of the 2009 Atlantic season, "the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Monday. Winds from this tropical storm have indeed strengthened and reached the threshold of 119 on Monday. km per hour.
Bill is still a long way from populated areas. It is currently spinning in the middle of the Atlantic, 1.870 km from the West Indies, according to the NHC.
In contrast, tropical storm Claudette already hit northwest Florida in the United States on Monday morning. Very heavy rain and gusts of winds of up to 85 km per hour fell on the state. Emergency relief teams are mobilized on the spot and strongly advise residents of flood-prone areas to evacuate the site.
"The main threat from Tropical Storm Claudette is heavy showers and isolated tornadoes in Panhandle and Big Bend counties," the Florida Department of Crisis Management said.
The Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1 and runs through November 30. Experts expect ten tropical storms to form, four of which could turn into hurricanes.
A third tropical storm, Ana, was demoted to tropical depression.
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