Hurricane center tracking 2 tropical waves that could develop

The National Hurricane Center is tracking two tropical waves in the Atlantic with the potential to grow into the season’s next tropical depression or storm.

As of the NHC’s 8 a.m. tropical outlook, the closer of the two systems is a tropical wave producing showers and thunderstorms in the central tropical Atlantic that the NHC has been keeping its eyes on all week, but has yet to become organized.

“Gradual development of this system is possible during the next few days, and a tropical depression could form some time next week while it moves westward, reaching the Lesser Antilles on Monday and continuing across the Caribbean Sea through the middle to latter part of the week,” forecasters said.

Its potential path has shifted south throughout the week and is now expected to remain in the Caribbean south of Greater Antilles such as Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.

The NHC gives it a 40% chance to develop in the next seven days, which is dialed back some from Thursday’s forecast.

The NHC began tracking late Thursday a second system that formed in the Atlantic. As of Friday, the tropical wave was located between the west coast of Africa and the Cape Verde Islands with minimal shower and thunderstorm activity.

“Some slow development of this system is possible through late next week while it moves slowly to the west-northwest over the eastern and central tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said.

The NHC gives it a 20% chance to develop in the next seven days.

If either develops to named-storm status, they could become Tropical Storm Francine. After Francine, the next name on the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season would be Gordon.

The season has seen five named storms so far with three becoming hurricanes. One of those became a major hurricane when Category 5 Hurricane Beryl broke records as the earliest storm of that strength on record.

It’s been two weeks since the last named system, Ernesto, moved over the Caribbean as a tropical storm and then formed into a hurricane before striking Bermuda.

Tropical development is expected to pick up as the height of hurricane season has begun with the majority of historic hurricane production occurring from mid-August into October.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s upgraded forecast issued earlier this month calls for 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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