Storm tracker: Hurricane center tracking 3 waves in Atlantic; 2 could become tropical depressions

The National Hurricane Center is tracking three tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean that could become tropical depressions later this week.

The NHC said in an advisory early Tuesday morning that "disorganized showers and thunderstorms" continue in association with a tropical wave currently located over Hispaniola and the central Caribbean Sea.

The westward-moving wave could see conditions conducive to further development when it reaches the western Caribbean Sea and southwestern Gulf of Mexico later this week and into the weekend, the NHC said, at which time a tropical depression could form.

Elsewhere, another tropical wave currently in the far eastern Atlantic is also producing showers and thunderstorms. The NHC says environmental conditions are forecast to become "a little more conducive for development" and that a tropical depression could form in a few days "while the disturbance moves slowly west-northwestward over the eastern tropical Atlantic."

The third system is currently located midway between the west coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles and is also producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms, according to the NHC. The agency says some "slow development" is possible during the next couple of days as the system moves west-northwestward, but that environmental conditions are expected to become "unfavorable" for additional development by the end of the week.

The first two tropical waves have a 40 percent chance of developing over the next seven days while the third has a 10 percent chance, the NHC said.

Atlantic storm tracker

Busy September for Atlantic hurricane season activity?

Meteorologists say activity in the Atlantic will continue to ramp up as we enter September. The dry, dusty air from Africa that prevents storms from developing in the Atlantic is forecast to wane, AccuWeather hurricane expert Alex DaSilva told USA TODAY last Wednesday.

"The dust will go away, and allow for the Atlantic to wake up," he said.

He added that water temperatures in many parts of the ocean are plenty warm for storms to develop and thrive.

DaSilva said water temperatures in Gulf of Mexico are at record levels. "If anything develops in the Gulf, it could take off very quickly. People have to pay attention: Storms can rapidly evolve and intensify rapidly."

Computer models also show more activity in the Atlantic in September, as previously reported by USA TODAY: "Long-range models are becoming increasingly confident that the deep Atlantic tropics will soon spawn a system worth tracking, and there’s plenty of reason to believe that a busy September and/or October lie ahead," meteorologists Jeff Masters and Bob Henson wrote on their blog Yale Climate Connections .

So far this year, there have been more storms in the Pacific than the Atlantic , and that's a bit of a surprise, forecasters say. In addition, it's been eerily calm in the Atlantic over the past week or so as we approach what's traditionally the busiest time of the season.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Storm tracker: Hurricane center tracking 3 waves in Atlantic; 2 could become tropical depressions