Tracking The Tropics: Watching Two Tropical Waves In The Atlantic
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Two areas to watch over the next 5 days in the Atlantic as they move slowly to the west. Neither poses a near-term threat to South Florida, but both have the potential to develop and are being monitored by the National Hurricane Center.
A trough of low pressure over the Central Atlantic is currently producing disorganized showers and storms. It is moving west-northwest and may slowly develop later this weekend or early next week which would put it near the Lesser Antilles. Over the next 48 hours it has a near zero percent chance to develop but that goes up to twenty percent three to five days from now. Regardless of development it is possible to bring heavier rain and wind to the area at that time.
Farther east, a few hundred miles from the Cabo Verde Islands, is a large area of disorganized clouds and storms associated with a tropical wave. The wave is interacting with a larger surface trough of low pressure and is moving west-northwest through the Eastern Atlantic. This area is more of a concern for development with the National Hurricane Center putting the development potential at thirty present for the next 48 hours then up to 60 percent days three to five.
A tropical depression could form later this weekend or early next week as it moves across the tropical Atlantic. The forecast track of this system if it develops will become key with warmer water just to the south and slightly cooler water to the north.
With the Atlantic getting warmer and the Saharan dust season coming to an end it is likely that we will continue to see activity increase over the next few weeks. Typically we see the peak of hurricane season on September 10th, that's over four weeks away.