As the end of August approaches, the Atlantic hurricane season remains abnormally quiet, but forecasters are warning that may change.
The National Hurricane Center currently is monitoring four tropical waves in the Atlantic basin. Environmental conditions are favorable for possible development over the weekend and going into next week.
One of the tropical waves was moving across the Windward Islands into the Caribbean as of 8 a.m.
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There have been three named storms so far this year in the Atlantic. The last one, Tropical Storm Colin, popped up off the Carolinas over the Fourth of July weekend.
The peak period of the Atlantic hurricane season runs from mid-August to mid-October, and forecasters are picking up signs tropical activity may soon pick up.
“Wind shear has dropped off in a zone from just north of the equator over the Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea this week,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
“As a tropical wave enters the Caribbean this weekend and into early next week, it will be in a low shear and moistening environment, which could be enough to allow slow development,” Rayno said.
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If the wave fails to gain sufficient strength as it moves through the Caribbean, it is more likely to move toward Central America.
However, if it does develop into a tropical depression or storm, it is more likely to take a more northwest or northward turn toward Cuba and then perhaps the United States, according to AccuWeather.
Here’s the latest update from the NHC as of 2 a.m. Aug. 25:
What’s out there and where are they?
Tropical wave 1: This system is expected to move west at about 15 mph during the next several days, and environmental conditions could become more conducive for slow development when it moves across the central and western Caribbean Sea early next week.
- Formation chance through 48 hours: low, near 0 percent.
- Formation chance through 5 days: low, 20 percent.
Tropical wave 2: Environmental conditions could support some slow development of this system through early next week while it moves quickly west across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic at 15 to 20 mph.
- Formation chance through 48 hours: low, 10 percent.
- Formation chance through 5 days: low, 20 percent.
Source: NOAA