Storm ‘Nadine’ is gaining steam in the Atlantic – and its odds of becoming a hurricane have tripled.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) released its updated forecast Tuesday, showing a 30 percent chance of turning into a hurricane by Thursday.

The previous report showed just a 10 percent chance that the storm would reach hurricane proportions within 48 hours.

The upgrade comes amid intensifying wind speeds.

Meteorologists are closely monitoring potential Nadine that could barrel over Florida or take another path toward Mexico and Central America.

‘This system is forecast to move generally westward, and environmental conditions could become more conducive for gradual development by the middle to latter part of this week,’ the NHC shared in the 8am ET update.

The storm, formally known as Invest 94L, was previously categorized ‘as a disturbance,’ but was upgraded to a tropical depression Monday after its surface winds reach 38 miles per hour that created cyclones on the Atlantic.

When it approaches warmer waters, a depression brings devastating rain and thunderstorms that cause severe floods and can develop into a hurricane if it reaches 74-mile-per-hour winds.

It’s unclear if the tropical storm will definitively develop into a a hurricane or when, but the NCH said the storm has a 60 percent chance of growing into a hurricane within the next seven days.

The tropical depression is currently located several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands but could gradually develop into a hurricane as it reaches the warmer waters near Florida.

It is expected to track northwest, passing Antigua’s northern tip and head toward the Dominican Republic and southeastern coast of Cuba.

‘There still is a scenario where that feature could find a way farther to the north and enter the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, but the chances of that seem to be diminishing,’ AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva reported.

However, there is now a second area of concern as an area of low pressure is developing over the southwestern Caribbean Sea.

There are ‘two main areas that are most likely to spur tropical development in the next few days to a week or so, and one or both features could still find a way to impact Florida,’ AccuWeather meteorologists told USA Today.

The second storm, which will be named Oscar, ‘has been showing some signs of life off and on in recent days but could be entering a much more favorable area for tropical development this week as it nears the Leeward Islands in the northeastern Caribbean,’ DaSilva said in the AccuWeather report.

If the tropical depression in the Atlantic makes landfall it would occur in the next nine days

DaSilva told DailyMail.com that it’s unlikely the storm will reach hurricane status.

As the storm passes over the Virgin Islands, the mountains could disrupt its growth.

He added that ‘there is a low chance of direct impact to the US because there’s a wind shear that might protect us.’

A wind shear consists of strong upper-level winds that can remove the heat and moisture from the eye of a hurricane and distort its shape, effectively ripping it apart.

If the storm were to develop into something bigger, DaSilva said it likely won’t occur until October 17 through 18 and meteorologists won’t know which path the storm will take until then.

‘I don’t think would it would hit us at all,’ he said, adding that ‘it will either just be pushed out to sea or nothing left by the time it gets to the US.’

However, the storm is still very far out and if it does impact the States, it wouldn’t be for another nine days, ‘so things can still change,’ DaSilva said.

The storm’s strength depends on how long it spends over water which could allow it to grow and develop into a hurricane.

‘One possibility would take the system westward into Central America and southern Mexico, and the other is, unfortunately, toward Florida,’ DaSilva said in an AccuWeather report.

If the tropical depression moves toward Central America, it won’t have as much time to strengthen, but if it’s path shifts northern toward the Gulf of Mexico, it could provide the climate needed to grow.

‘Not only are waters very warm in this area—well into the 80s Fahrenheit down deep- the ocean heat content in the western Caribbean is at record high levels for any time of the year,’ DaSilva said in the report.

The tropical storm could head for Florida or Mexico and Central America over the next week

The impending storm comes as Florida is working to recover from Hurricane Milton which hit Tampa and traveled across the state last week and triggered deadly tornadoes.

At least 17 people were killed in Florida and while the state is still assessing the financial toll, the damages are estimated to be in the billions.

Milton also came after Hurricane Helene which struck the southeast two weeks prior, leaving states up and down the coast under water.

Helene cost between $30.5 billion and $47.5 billion in total damages across 16 states, according to CoreLogic, and has so far claimed the lives of more than 230 people, with countless others still reported missing.

This year has already seen above average hurricanes for mid-October, with four major hurricanes including Beryl, Helene, Kirk and Miltonhitting the US.

In May, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the US would have an above-average hurricane season and predicted between four and seven Category 3 or higher hurricanes would strike.

The prediction so far has proven true, with mid-October seeing above historical averages.

The hurricane season extends from June 1 through November 30.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the National Hurricane Center for comment.

Read more

• While it has not yet reared its head on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment, the judicial system might wield its power when the time comes
• There is, however, an argument on this, as some quarters hold that the impeachment ends at the Senate and that the process is immune to any judicial review
• But High Court advocate Steve Ogolla strongly avers that the role of the courts cannot be to ruled out of the impeachment; he says the courts have the role of auditing the process to check its alignment with the constitution

Nairobi—Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment could bring the Legislature and Judiciary to a point of clash.

Gachagua’s case is being prosecuted by the two houses of parliament.

The impeachment process intensified on October 8, when 282 MPs voted in favour of the charges against him.

Meanwhile, the deputy president has been filing petition after another to challenge the process.

Legal minds are undecided about whether the courts can alter the outcome of the ouster process upon its conclusion by the upper legislative house.

While some hold that the legislature’s verdict on Gachagua’s impeachment is final, others argue that the court can still wield its power and rule otherwise.

Litigation counsel Steve Ogolla authoritatively avers that the High Court can show up to give directions when there is that need.

While Ogolla appreciates that Gachagua’s impeachment is a preserve of the legislature, he says that upon invitation, the courts can chip in to offer interpretation, which might side with the houses of parliament or not.

He says that the court’s involvement in such matters is limited to auditing the process and reviewing the merits of the impeachment grounds to confirm that both aspects meet the Constitution’s requirements.

“They (courts) ought not to interfere with the outcome of the political process because the power of impeachment is bestowed upon the National Assembly and the Senate; but if the High Court is invited to audit the legality, propriety and constitutionality of the impeachment charges against Gachagua provided they relate to gross violation of the constitution, then the court has jurisdiction to entertain those questions and determine them. So, it is not true that the High Court has no role in the impeachment,” Ogolla told this writer.

Faith Chandianya, a journalist at Ekwutosblog, brings over three years of experience covering politics and Current Affairs in Kenya

One of Rigathi Gachagua’s lawyers, Tom Macharia, has accused the Senate of attempting a “microwave impeachment” to remove the deputy president from office.

What did Macharia say about Gachagua’s impeachment?

Macharia argued that the attempt is occurring amid several trials where Gachagua sought to block his impeachment in the Senate.

“They are Looking for a microwave impeachment, the Senate is creating it’s own timeline,” Macharia told court.

While urging Justice Chacha Mwita to issue conservatory orders to stop the Senate’s debate on the impeachment motion against Gachagua, Macharia argued that if Gachagua is impeached, he will be permanently barred from holding any public servant position in the country.

Macharia added that Gachagua cannot even return to being a District Officer once impeached.

“My client cannot go back to bieng a DO,” Macharia argued.

He made a passionate appeal to Justice Mwita, urging him to issue conservatory orders before the Senate debates the impeachment motion against the deputy president on Wednesday October 16.

Justice Mwita is set to issue a ruling tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., a day before the Senate begins its hearing on the impeachment motion against the deputy president.

National Assembly presents evidence of Gachagua’s trial at Senate

This comes after the National Assembly submitted over 20 boxes of evidence that were transported in two pickups under tight security to support the MPs’ stance.

The submission followed the impeachment of Gachagua by 282 Members of Parliament, who cited corruption, abuse of office, and threats against President William Ruto as key grounds for their decision.

Gachagua also submitted several cartons of evidence for his impeachment hearing at the Senate.

On the day of the hearing, Gachagua will have four hours to present his defence.

What else you need to know about Gachagua’s impeachment