As we move into the peak month of hurricane season, the Yucatan is watching a menacing weather system approaching from the Caribbean.
- A Caribbean tropical wave is moving quickly westward and could develop into a tropical depression in the next couple of days, according to the Weather Channel.
“The system has a high chance of tropical cyclone formation during the next 48 hours,” according to a National Hurricane Center bulletin issued Sunday afternoon.
Regardless of development, this system will track toward Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula in the week ahead, with a 60% chance of developing into a tropical storm. If it does it more quickly than some other weather systems currently churning, it will become Tropical Storm Nana, and could grow into a hurricane.
Areas from Jamaica to Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and the Yucatan should monitor the progress of this disturbance, according to the NHC.
The areas the National Hurricane Center has a lot to watch these days, with storms brewing from the U.S. East Coast to the Caribbean and the eastern Atlantic.
An area of low pressure is expected to develop off the U.S. Southeast coast early this week.
This system could slowly form into a tropical depression by midweek as it tracks northeastward but is not bring any significant direct impacts to land.
The NHC will also be watching a pair of tropical waves in the central and eastern Atlantic for development this week.
These two systems are far from land and only slow development is expected at this time.
“It’s too early to know whether either of them will eventually grow into a tropical depression or storm. We are also too far out in time to know whether either of them might affect any land areas in the future,” said the Weather Channel.
September is the peak month of hurricane season, and the most active day of the year is statistically around Sept. 10. The next tropical storms or hurricanes will be named Nana, Omar and Paulette.
Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach said that roughly three-quarters of Atlantic hurricane seasons since 1966 have had at least one active named storm on Sept. 10.
With 13 tropical storms on the books already, most forecasting agencies predict six to 12 more tropical storms, which may include 3-7 more hurricanes.
Atlantic hurricane season continues until the end of November.
