Two disturbances in the Atlantic. One could reach the southeast coast as depression
The southeast coast could see a tropical depression Monday evening if a disturbance off the coast strengthens further, the National Hurricane Center said. It could bring gusty winds, flooding and a strong rip current.
The hurricane center is tracking two disturbances in the Atlantic — the one pointed toward Georgia and South Carolina and another with a low chance of strengthening anytime soon.
The one closer to the U.S. was about 190 miles east-southeast of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina as of the 8 a.m. update on Monday and headed west at about 15 to 20 mph.
As the pressure started to drop around it and the thunderstorms near it began to organize, forecasters hiked its chances of strengthening into a tropical depression to 70% in the next two or five days.
“Any additional increase in organization of the thunderstorm activity would result in the issuance of advisories for a tropical depression or tropical storm,” forecasters said.
It could strengthen further as it crosses the warm waters of the Gulf current just offshore the southern coast of the U.S. but even if it doesn’t strengthen, the region is in for a few inches of rain.
The other disturbance, an area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave off the coast of Africa, was hundreds of miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands as of the morning update. It was booking it west at 20 mph and forecasters said slow development of this system is possible in the next few days. It’s expected to reach the Lesser Antilles late Wednesday.
They gave it a 20% chance of forming in the next two days and 40% in the next five, a slight hike from the early morning update.
Andy Hazelton, an assistant scientist at the University of Miami and NOAA’s hurricane research department, tweeted that dry air to the south and not-as-favorable sea surface temperatures to the north have squeezed the system into a narrow path.
NOAA forecasts another active storm season this year, with 13 to 20 named storms. Three have formed so far and the next name on the list is Danny.
This story was originally published June 27, 2021 at 9:27 AM.
