MIAMI (AP) — Four days after weakening into a tropical depression, Tropical Storm Dean came back to life early Monday in the north Atlantic, far from where it drenched Puerto Rico and knocked out power, water and phones to thousands in the Caribbean last week.
Tropical storms have to have top sustained winds of at least 39 mph, and by 5 a.m. EDT, Dean had top winds of near 60 mph, according to Richard Pasch, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
"It has regenerated over the north Atlantic. The water is still just warm enough to allow it to redevelop," he said.
However, not much punch was expected from the revived tropical storm, according to Pasch. More good news: Dean is only a threat to maritime traffic, not to any land.