Forecasters Eyeing Activity In The Atlantic, Tropical Depression Possible

Forecasters are watching four tropical waves moving across the Atlantic basin as the second half of the 2025 hurricane season heats up.

The easternmost wave, just leaving Africa’s west coast, has a 40 percent chance of it strengthening into a tropical depression by early to the middle part of next week, the National Hurricane Center said. The system is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms on Friday morning, and could develop further over the next several days.

While meteorologists are watching this area, it likely isn’t anything to worry about, Fox 13’s Paul Dellegatto wrote in a Facebook post. “If it does develop, most models keep it out to sea. We will monitor.”

The other three waves, while being watched, aren’t expected to develop at this time, according to AccuWeather. Still, conditions are improving for the formation of storms through the remainder of the hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.

• Related: Updated 2025 Hurricane Season Forecast Released: What To Know

“There should be less disruptive wind shear, dry air, and Saharan dust in the main development region of the Atlantic next week. The hostile atmospheric conditions that limited tropical development in recent weeks will be easing,” Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s vice president of forecasting operations, said. “Every tropical wave moving off Africa will be monitored closely, as they move through warm waters with conditions that are conducive for tropical development.”

One wave is moving west across the eastern Atlantic, while another is moving west across the central Atlantic, according to NHC.

A western Caribbean tropical wave moving east is also being watched, the agency said. “Numerous strong convection is behind the wave to along the coast of northwest Colombia.”

Forecasters are especially watching the western Caribbean and the Gulf, which have hit record-high water temperatures, for potential tropical development from Sept. 18 through at least the end of the month, DePodwin said.

Water temperatures are near 90 degrees in some areas, experts said. This is well above 80 degrees, the lowest temperature water can be to generate a tropical storm.

“A storm may try to form and move toward the U.S. Due to formation near land, these storms give coastal residents the shortest preparation time window,” he said, adding, “Any storm that moves into the Gulf has the potential to rapidly intensify due to the record ocean heat content."

Moist air and warm sea-surface temperatures could fuel development in these areas during the second half of September.