NHC monitoring 3 systems with potential for development

Tropical storm activity in the Atlantic Basin is heating up as the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) is eyeing three weather systems that could develop into the next storm.

A broad area of low pressure located over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico has a 90 per cent chance of becoming a tropical depression during the next couple of days as the system moves north-westward along the Gulf coast of Mexico and Texas.

In the Central Tropical Atlantic an elongated area of low pressure continues to show some signs of organisation.

“Environmental conditions appear conducive for additional development of this system, and a tropical depression could form while the system meanders over the central tropical Atlantic through Monday and then begins to move generally westward at around 10 mph through the rest of the week,” NHC said.

Meanwhile, a trough of low pressure located several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing a broad area of disorganised showers and thunderstorms.

“This system is expected to move very little during the next couple of days until it potentially interacts with a tropical wave that is forecast to move off the west coast of Africa on Monday. Environmental conditions thereafter are expected to be favourable for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form by the middle or latter part of the week while the system begins moving slowly west-north-westward,” NHC stated.

The 2024 Hurricane Season is set to reach its peak on September 12.

The Atlantic region has been relatively quiet the last few weeks with the last storm, Hurricane Ernesto, developing on August 12.

Ernesto was the fifth named storm and third hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season.