Hurricane center tracks 1 Caribbean, 2 Atlantic systems

The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday was keeping track of three systems with a chance to form into the season’s next tropical depression or storm.

As of the center’s 8 a.m. tropical outlook, a tropical wave in the Central Caribbean was producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over Hispaniola and the open water to the south.

“This system is expected to move westward, and a tropical depression could form when it reaches the western Caribbean Sea and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico late this week or over the weekend,” forecasters said,

The hurricane center gives it a 40% chance of development in the next seven days.

In the eastern tropical Atlantic, a second tropical wave was producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

“Environmental conditions are forecast to become a little more conducive for development, and a tropical depression could form later this week while the disturbance moves slowly west-northwestward or northwestward over the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean,” forecasters said. “This system could produce locally heavy rains and gusty winds across portions of the Caper Verde Islands in a day or two.”

The hurricane center gives it a 10% chance of development in the next two days and 40% in the next seven.

New on Tuesday, the center tracked another Atlantic tropical wave, this one located about midway between the west coast of Africa and the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles that was producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

“Some slow development is possible during the next couple of days while the system moves west-northwestward. By the end of the week, however, environmental conditions are expected to become unfavorable for additional development,” forecasters said.

The center gives it a 10% chance of development in the next two to seven days.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has so far produced five named storms: Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl, Tropical Storm Chris, Hurricane Debby and Hurricane Ernesto. The next names on the list are Francine, Gordon and Helene.

It has been three weeks since Ernesto petered out, though, which is running against predictions for what had been forecast to be extremely busy during the height of hurricane season, a stretch that normally runs from mid-August into October.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s upgraded forecast issued in August called or 17-24 named storms, of which 8-13 could become hurricanes, with 4-7 that could develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.

Hurricane season runs from June 1-Nov. 30.

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