Two tropical waves in the Atlantic are headed west and might turn into depressions
Two tropical waves are making their way west across the Atlantic, and the National Hurricane Center said they both have a chance of strengthening into a tropical depression later this week.
Both waves are thousands of miles from land and not yet to the stage where the hurricane center is releasing maps of their potential track, but forecasters said one or both storms could get there this week.
Wave one, the closer one, is producing disorganized thunderstorms and gusty winds over the eastern Caribbean Sea, according to the hurricane center’s 8 p.m. Tuesday advisory.
Forecasters say it has a 80 percent chance of upgrading to a depression in the next two days, but its odds are higher, 90 percent, for developing later in the week or during the weekend when it reaches the northwestern Caribbean Sea.
Wave one’s roughly projected path takes it toward the Yucatan Peninsula and well south of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Heavy rain and gusty winds are also expected over portions of the Windward Islands and southern Leeward Islands Tuesday morning, according to the hurricane center.
Wave two is about 1,000 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and is producing a concentrated area of showers and thunderstorms, according to the hurricane center.
“Environmental conditions are conducive for further development, and a tropical depression is expected to form during the next day or two while the system moves generally west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph across the central and western portions of the tropical Atlantic,” forecasters wrote.
Forecasters say the system’s chances of strengthening will stay consistently high at 90 percent within the next five days.
The latest projected path of the second wave has moved slightly more north. It’s far too early to tell where or when the storm could come.
NOAA has projected the 2020 hurricane season could be one of the most active of all times, with 19 to 25 named storms occurring. So far, there have been 11 named storms, two of which were hurricanes at one point. The next two names on the list are Laura and Marco.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 6:47 AM.
