Watching for potential development in the Atlantic this week

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a tropical wave in the far eastern tropical Atlantic several hundred miles south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands. Invest 92L, as its being called, is currently just an area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. However, environmental conditions appear conducive for development and a tropical depression is likely to form by the middle of the week as the system continues to move westward.

The National Hurricane Center is giving the area a 30% chance of development over the next 2 days and 80% chance over the next 7 days, as of Sunday morning. If it becomes a tropical storm, it would be given the name Sean.

What to expect from the tropics in October

In what’s already proven to be an active hurricane season 4 months in, we are far from its curtain call heading into October.

So far, we’ve already seen 18 named storms and six hurricanes.

And while we’re past the official peak of the season, it’s no time to let our guard down. October can prove to be busy for Florida as we shift our focus to storms potentially sneaking up on us from the Gulf of Mexico and being steered in our direction by troughs of low pressure that swing across the eastern United States. Meanwhile, waters are still warm in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea during the month which can support tropical development.

To kick off the month, we’re still tracking Tropical Storms Rina and Philippe in the Atlantic. Rina is a weakening tropical storm, while Philippe is still expected to strengthen and potentially reach hurricane status later this week. Neither are forecast to impact the United States.

Beyond these storms, there doesn’t appear to be any signs of immediate development right now. However, that could change. The next name on the list is Sean. Hurricane season runs through November 30th. Typically, November sees much less activity than October.