As promised, today I want to blog about the developing situation in the tropics.  Gustav and Hanna are both churning in warm ocean waters and are both slated to become hurricanes relatively soon.  What does this mean for the United States?  First, let's start with an overview of the tropics.

This is the location of Tropical Storm Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna as of 11:00AM Friday morning.  For the latest position of these storms, click on the link to the National Hurricane Center found in the upper left corner of my blog page.  For those of you that read today's Thack Fact, you will notice two other tropical disturbances in the Atlantic.  For now though, let's focus on our two major players.  Here is the latest satellite image of the storms:

Gustav will make his charge into the Gulf of Mexico as a major hurricane this weekend.  Right behind him, Hanna now looks poised to become a category one hurricane herself and take aim at Southern Florida or Cuba.  The latest track put forth by the National Hurricane Center is as follows:

Obviously, Gustav bears watching for the Gulf Coast.  Indications are that the storm could land west of the New Orleans area, but anywhere in that red cone is fair game.  New Orleans must be on high alert over the holiday weekend.  A category three storm is a major hurricane and could spell major destruction for the coast if this forecast pans out.

Hanna is another storm that should be watched with a close eye.  Her path seems to take a due west turn over the weekend and that could land her in between Southern Florida and Cuba by next Tuesday morning.  We will have a much better idea of what these two systems will do over the weekend. 

Finally, for those of you heading to Beaver Stadium tomorrow to watch the Nittany Lions take on Coastal Carolina in their opener, you may want to pack an umbrella.  It will not be a wash-out at Beaver Stadium, but there could be a few spotty showers around during game time.  Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 70s.  If you are heading up to Happy Valley tomorrow, enjoy the game and cheer extra loud!

That's it for now!  If you want the latest information on Gustav and Hanna over the weekend, remember to click the link above for the National Hurricane Center.  They will have up to date stats and forecasted paths for both storms.  Closer to home, the Labor Day Weekend forecast looks pretty nice.  Until next time...have a great weekend!