A very rare tropical storm continues to spin about in the South Atlantic ocean. Tropical Storm Iba formed off the southeastern coast of Brazil on Sunday, becoming the first tropical cyclone classified in the area since 2010. Tropical systems are very rare in this part of the world; since 2004, there were only 2 other named tropical systems in the South Atlantic Basin. In 2004, Hurricane Catarina became a Category 2 storm and made landfall in Brazil.
Unlike Catarina, Iba is forecast to remain off-shore. GOES-East satellite imagery shows Iba spinning about east of Bahia, Espirito Santo, and Rio de Janerio. Iba should slowly drift south and east away from South America; more hostile upper winds and cooler water temperatures should help dissipate the storm over time. The latest high-resolution data shows the center of circulation of the system has separated from the highest cold tops; this could indicate the system is losing punch now.
