Article first published: Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, 4 a.m. ET

Article last updated: Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, 10 p.m. ET

System type: Tropical storm

System name: Imelda

At 10 p.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory stating that Imelda after it first crossed the Atlantic Ocean and left The Bahamas and headed to the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Imelda is in the Atlantic Ocean, 140 miles north of Great Abaco Island and 205 miles east of Cape Canaveral Florida. The system, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, is moving to the north at 8 mph.

Imelda is forecast to become a hurricane night or on Tuesday or on Tuesday.

Yesterday (Sunday)

The system strengthened enough to get a name: Tropical Storm Imelda. It found new strength and has evolved from a tropical depression into a tropical storm with sustained winds of 65 mph. The system’s new name was first made public in yesterday’s 1 p.m. advisory.

Changes with this advisory

The Government of the Bahamas has discontinued the Tropical Storm Warning for the northwestern Bahamas.

Watches and warnings currently in effect

• Hurricane Watch for Bermuda

Meaning of the different watches and warnings

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

Hazards affecting land

Wind. Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area by Wednesday night, with tropical storm conditions possible by Wednesday afternoon.

Wind gusts to tropical-storm force are possible over portions of the extreme northwestern Bahamas during the next few hours.

Rainfall. Storm total rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches with local maxima of 4 inches are expected through tonight across coastal sections of southeast North Carolina. This rainfall could result in isolated flash and urban flooding. As Imelda passes near Bermuda, 2 to 4 inches – 50 to 100 mm – of rainfall is expected from Wednesday into Thursday.

Storm surge. Minor coastal flooding is possible in areas of onshore winds over the Southeastern U.S. coastline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the surge occurs over the next several high tide cycles…

Volusia/Brevard County Line, Florida to the South Santee River, South Carolina…1 to 2 ft

Surf. Swells generated by Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto are affecting the Bahamas and are currently spreading to much of the U.S. east coast. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

A depiction of rip current risk for the United States can be found at: hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?ripCurrents

Source: National Hurricane Center