A few and inconsequential weather systems have formed in the Atlantic during the 2018 hurricane season, including Tropical Storm Florence which is expected to curve northwards without impacting land.
But a new system, which the National Weather Service (N.W.S.) has given a 50 percent chance of development, is headed towards the Caribbean islands on its current trajectory of westward west-northwestward, according to N.W.S.
The system is one that should be closely monitored, especially as the peak of Hurricane season is mid-August to mid-September.
According to N.W.S., the tropical wave is located a few hundred miles south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands and continues to produce a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Its gradual development is expected, and it could become a tropical depression late this week or this weekend while it moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern tropical Atlantic, N.W.S. said.
Formation chance through 48 hours is low at 10 percent. However, the five-day forecast gives the system a 50 percent chance of development.
Hurricane Irma impacted the St. Thomas-St. John District on September 6, while Hurricane Maria struck St. Croix two weeks later on September 19. If the current disturbance forms into a storm and keeps on its current trajectory, it would impact the Caribbean islands around the same time as the September 2017 storms.
Tags: 2018, weather system