Tropical system in the Atlantic is hanging on — barely. Caribbean getting the brunt.
That tropical wave out in the Atlantic that was pointing toward Florida?
Just consider it a reminder that hurricane season lasts until Nov. 30.
The system, which would have been named Patty had it graduated to tropical storm status, is weakening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The wannabe Patty is currently a tropical wave interacting with an upper-level low and producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over portions of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and nearby waters in the Atlantic as of the center’s 7 a.m. Wednesday report.
On Monday, the hurricane center bumped the odds of development up substantially to 90 percent, although conditions were expected to angle it away from Florida. But now “significant development of this system is not expected due to unfavorable upper-level winds and interaction with islands of the Greater Antilles.”
The system is still making itself felt in the Caribbean, however, by bringing heavy rains to the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola. Those conditions should continue for the next day or so as the wave moves in a west-northwestward direction.
By Thursday, the rains will fall on the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas as the system turns northwestward.
But the chance of formation in the next two to five days remains a low 10 percent.
As for weather in South Florida, there is a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms Thursday ahead of a cold front, the National Weather Service in Miami says.
The cold front will bring lows to about 65 degrees Thursday night in South Florida, with highs around 75 on Friday. Lows will dip to about 50 degrees west of Lake Okeechobee Friday morning. Expect mid- to upper 40s west of Lake Okeechobee and the lower 50s over the west coast over the weekend, but in South Florida we should see highs near 80 degrees Sunday.
This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 12:26 PM.
