Forecasters are watching two fast-paced tropical waves in the Atlantic early Monday that could turn into tropical depressions later this week.
One of the tropical waves is moving quickly westward at about 20 mph toward the Windward Islands, and is continuing to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The system is a couple of hundred miles east of the Windward Islands and is forecast to approach the Windward and southern Leeward Islands later Monday, according to a hurricane center advisory at 8 a.m. Monday.
Forecasters say the disturbance’s quick pace will keep its formation chances a relatively low 20 percent during the next 48 hours as it nears the islands and then moves across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Regardless of development, the wave is expected to bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds to portions of the Windward and southern Leeward Islands beginning late Monday through Tuesday morning, according to the hurricane center.
Once it enters the western Caribbean Sea, the system is expected to move more slowly westward, “where upper-level winds could become more conducive for the development of a tropical depression during the latter part of this week,” according to the hurricane center. Its formation chances during this time will be 50 percent.
Formation chances of the disturbance in the eastern tropical Atlantic?
The other tropical wave forecasters are watching is in the eastern tropical Atlantic to the south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.
The disturbance is producing a large area of cloudiness and disorganized showers and is forecast to move west-northwestward fairly quickly at 15 to 20 mph during the next few days, according to the hurricane center.
Forecasters say it has a low 20 percent chance of development in the next two days and a medium 60 percent chance in the next five days when “environmental conditions are expected to become more conducive for the development of a tropical depression.”
Experts have predicted that the Atlantic could see “extreme activity” this hurricane season, due in part to record-breaking heat in April that warmed the part of the Atlantic Ocean where hurricanes often form. And it has already been a record-breaking hurricane season.
Most recently, Tropical Storm Kyle formed on Aug. 14, making it the earliest 11th named storm in a season. The previous earliest “K” storm was Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 24, 2005.
