2 Tropical Disturbances On Track For Development

TAMPA, FL — Two tropical disturbances under watch by the National Hurricane Center are showing promise for further development over the next few days. Although neither storm poses an apparent threat to Florida, both have the potential to become the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season’s next named storms.

The first disturbance under watch was located about 800 miles east-southeast of the southern Windward Islands as of 2 p.m. Sunday, June 18. The tropical wave was moving west-northwest at near 20 mph as of that time. Forecasters say the storm has a 60 percent chance of developing more over the next five days.

Get the Patch newsletter and alerts in your inbox.

The second system is a broad area of low pressure that was located near the Yucatan Peninsula’s eastern coast as of 2 p.m. Sunday.

“This system is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms along with winds to gale force several hundred miles to the east and northeast of the center,” forecasters wrote in the hurricane center’s Tropical Weather Outlook report Sunday. The system, however, lacked a well-defined center of circulation. Forecasters say that could change over the next few days. They’ve given the system a 70 percent chance of further development over the next 48 hours, and a 90 percent chance to develop more over the next five days.

Should the two storms develop enough to earn names, they would be called Bret and Cindy. The first storm of the 2017 season, Arlene, made an appearance before the season’s official June 1 start. That tropical storm developed in April and quickly fizzled out.

While it’s still too early to tell what, if any, impacts the two storms under watch may have on the U.S. coastline, they serve as reminders of the need to be prepared. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-average number of named storms this year.

Residents readying for the ongoing season can get tips and advice on the federal government’s Ready.gov website. Folks in the Tampa Bay area can also check out this related story: Hurricane Season 2017: What Tampa Bay Area Residents Need To Know.

Graphic courtesy of the National Hurricane Center