Tropical Storm Wanda continues to spin about over the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, inching closer to a potential European rendezvous early next week.

Before Wanda heads to a possible impact with Europe, it’s moving south for now. As of the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC)  in Miami, Florida, Wanda is moving south at 9 mph. Maximum sustained winds are up to 50 mph; however, its presentation on satellite looks marginal at best. With a minimum central pressure of 994 mb or 29.36″, the storm remains over open waters of the North Atlantic roughly 565 miles west of the Azores.

While Wanda is heading south now, it is expected to turn and accelerate to the northeast Saturday night into Sunday. As it moves closer to Europe, some minor intensification is possible. The latest forecast cone from the NHC now brings the center of Wanda north and east of Ireland by Monday night. By that time, Wanda’s structure may change from a tropical storm to a post-tropical cyclone. Even so, wind-whipped rains could impact Ireland and the northern United Kingdom early in the new week.

Wanda is the 21st named cyclone of the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The season runs through to the end of this month. At this time, there are no other named storms nor are there any threats of new named storms expected over the next five days in the Atlantic hurricane basin.