Tropical Storm Otto: October 7, Update A

Alas, no time for dilly-dallying today!
 
Otto the October Storm officially went from a Subtropical Storm to a Tropical Storm as the convection near the center of circulation picked up earlier today. He is currently at 24.0N, 67.6W and although he was rather slow earlier today because of the high pressure surrounding him, he has since picked up speed (not the drug speed, but the velocity speed! ;-)) and is now moving in a NE direction at 6mph. Winds are still officially 60mph with a central pressure of 992mb, so no change from a mid-strength Tropical Storm (range; 39-73mph). Convection is quite a bit stronger near his center and if there wasn't a dash of wind shear and dry air surrounding him I think he would be a hurricane by now because the vorticity is good throughout the troposphere.
 
The track forecast hasn't changed much either at the moment and they still have him heading to the Azores.  Hmm... I've never been to the Azores and I can't think of anyone I know who has either. They are a pretty low-key and quiet bunch of islands, aren't they? Anyway, back to the track. It looks like he's heading more ENE at the moment, which will take him a little south of the current forecast track. Maybe he's going to the Canary Islands instead of the Azores. I know people who have been to the Canary Islands.
 
No more time. Must run. And sleep. Sleep running. Hmm. Maybe not. Although I know someone who went sleep cycling... they realised something was amiss when they woke up on the bike a few streets from home in their PJs.
 
Adieu,
J.
 
Blog archives at http://jyotikastorms.blogspot.com/

-------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER:
These remarks are just what I think/see regarding tropical storms - not the opinion of any organization I represent. If you are making an evacuation decision, please heed your local emergency management and the National Hurricane Center's official forecast and the National Weather Service announcements. This is not an official forecast. If I was there and was going to "run away, run away" (Monty Python), I'll let you know.
-------------------------------------------