Tropical Storm Chantal poses no threat to the U.S., forecasters say

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - The third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season has formed, and it does not pose any threat to the U.S., according to meteorologists.

Tropical Storm Chantal formed late Tuesday night, and is projected to spin around the north Atlantic Ocean as the weekend approaches. On Tuesday morning, there was a 10 percent chance that the cluster of clouds in the north Atlantic will become a tropical system, says FOX 13’s meteorologist Dave Osterberg. 

“It’s moving away from the lower 48,” he explained. “This is going to pose no threat to the United States, whatsoever. It’s just going to be another storm in the season, I guess.”

Eventually, it will continue to move north and away through the Atlantic Ocean. NHC forecasters predict it will downgrade into a tropical depression in a couple of days.

“It’s really not projected to be much more than a minimal tropical storm,” Osterberg said. “It’s there. It’s not going to bother anybody.”

However, he said, Chantal is a reminder that storms can quickly form.

“This is a reminder that between now and October 10, this is the meat of the hurricane season,” Osterberg said.