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Hurricane Humberto has strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane, forecasters warning of dangerous surf and rip currents in parts of the northeastern Caribbean and Bermuda. Why It Matters Even though Humberto is not projected to make landfall in the Caribbean, its strength and size mean coastal communities will face hazardous surf and rip currents in the days ahead. For islands dependent on tourism, the risks could affect both safety and local economies as the hurricane continues to intensify. This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Humberto on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (NOAA via AP) What To Know Hurricane Humberto was packing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph Friday night, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory. The storm was located about 390 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Although no coastal watches or warnings are in effect, Humberto is already generating dangerous swells expected to reach the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda this weekend. The NHC warned the surf could create life-threatening rip currents and urged residents and visitors to follow guidance from local authorities. Currently, hurricane-force winds extend 25 miles from Humberto’s center, while tropical-storm-force winds stretch outward up to 105 miles. Humberto is the eighth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, arriving just after Hurricane Gabrielle, which is moving further out into the Atlantic without affecting land. Meanwhile, forecasters are tracking a second storm system over the northeast Caribbean, near Humberto. The disturbance is expected to strengthen quickly—becoming a tropical depression on Saturday, a tropical storm by Sunday, and possibly a hurricane by late Monday. The NHC said the system could bring “significant rainfall” to Cuba and the Bahamas, with up to 16 inches possible in Cuba and up to 8 inches in the Bahamas. While no watches or warnings are currently in place for either system, forecasters caution that the two storms could interact if they draw close enough together. Such a “Fujiwhara effect” can cause tropical cyclones to spin around one another and veer off their projected paths. What People Are Saying Speaking to Newsweek, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva explained: “The Fujiwhara effect happens when two cyclones within close proximity start to interact with each other. For tropical systems, the two storms usually have to be within about 850 miles of each other. “There are a few different outcomes that can occur if two tropical systems get this close,” added DaSilva. “If the storms are not close in intensity, for example one is a strong hurricane and the other is a weak tropical storm, the weaker of the storms will likely get absorbed by the larger storm. “If the storms are of similar intensity, they may start to rotate around a common center point between the two storms. The Fujiwhara effect can cause storms to temporarily take more erratic paths. This phenomenon is more common in the western Pacific but more rare in the Atlantic.” The National Weather Service said in a post on X on Friday: “Hurricane Humberto is expected to strengthen significantly over the next couple of days and is forecast to become a major hurricane later today or on Saturday. The storm is currently forecast to veer away from the U.S. East Coast, however rip current will remain a moderate risk through the weekend.” What Happens Next Forecasters expect Humberto to continue strengthening over the weekend as it tracks westward across the central Atlantic. By Monday, the hurricane is projected to turn toward the northwest at a faster speed, before shifting north-northwest later that night.
