Hurricane center forecasts new tropical wave to emerge in Atlantic
Published in News & Features
ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s been two weeks since the National Hurricane Center has tracked a named storm, but a new tropical wave is now forecast to move into the Atlantic that could become the season’s next tropical depression or storm.
As of the NHC’s 8 a.m. tropical outlook Thursday, the system is forecast to move offshore of the west coast of Africa by Friday into the far eastern Atlantic.
“Environmental conditions could support some slow development of the system over the weekend into early next week as the wave moves to the west or west-northwest at about 15 mph over the eastern and central tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said.
The NHC gave it a 30% chance to develop in the next seven days.
If it were to develop into a named storm, it could become Tropical Storm Gabrielle.
The climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season was on Sept. 10. but 60% of annual activity has historically happened after this date, the NHC stated.
So far the season has had only six named storms with the most recent, Tropical Storm Fernand, petering out by the end of August.
Only one of the six storms developed into a hurricane, Hurricane Erin, which grew into a massive Category 5 system with 160 mph winds, but remained in the Atlantic without making landfall.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in early August updated its season forecast to call for 13-18 named storms this year, of which five to nine would grow into hurricanes. Two to five of those would develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
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