3 Tropical Disturbances Keeping Forecasters Busy

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have a busy weekend ahead of them as not one, but three tropical disturbances swirl around in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Only one of the storms is showing strong signs of further development.

The first system under watch was located in the extreme southeastern Gulf of Mexico Saturday morning. The low pressure system is producing some showers, but forecasters say upper-level winds are likely to hamper development. As of Saturday morning, the storm was moving west at 5 to 10 mph and had only been given a 10 percent chance of developing more over the next five days.

The second system under watch was located near Puerto Rico Saturday morning. It was producing some thunderstorms, but remained disorganized, forecasters wrote in Saturday morning’s Tropical Weather Outlook report.

“Environmental conditions are not expected to be conducive for significant development of this system while it moves west-northwestward at around 15 mph,” the report said. The storm has been given a 10 percent chance of further development over the next five days.

The system that really has forecasters’ attention is a broad area of low pressure located about 1,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. The system hadn’t become better organized overnight Friday, but forecasters say conditions are favorable for the development of a tropical depression early next week. That storm has been given a 90 percent chance of developing more over the next five days. On its present course, the third storm would pose no threat for the Tampa Bay area. It is expected to move west-northwest into the open Atlantic Ocean.

Meanwhile, forecasters say the Tampa Bay area is in for a fairly normal weekend of highs in the upper 80s to low 90s with afternoon storms possible. Rain chances pick up heading into the workweek when forecasters say there’s a 50 percent chance of scattered storms on Monday starting in the morning hours.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season peaks each year between mid-August and mid-October. While the season technically runs June 1 through Nov. 30, many of the major storms on record have occurred during the traditional eight-week peak.

To find out more about hurricane season and storm preparation in the Tampa Bay area, read these related Patch stories:

• Atlantic Hurricane Season 2016's Peak is Now
• Hurricane Season 2016: Where To Find Local Information
• 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast Released
• Hurricane Season: How to Prepare
• 2016 Hurricane Names: Is Yours On the List?
• Tampa Bay 'Ripe for Disaster,' Hurricane Experts Say

To keep up with storm activity as the season develops, bookmark the National Hurricane Center’s website and keep an eye on your hometown Patch site for local information.

Image courtesy of the National Hurricane Center