Caribbean being watched for possible tropical development

Tropical waves will battle Saharan dust, strong trade winds

NHC Outlook (Jonathan Kegges)

ORLANDO, Fla. – After a brief lull in the action, the National Hurricane Center has highlighted a new tropical wave for possible tropical development.

The disturbance itself is in the eastern Caribbean, just west of the Windward Islands. The wave is currently dealing with some dry air to its north and strong trade winds, preventing development in the short term.

Over the next few days, the disturbance will move into a more favorable environment which could allow for development of the system.

The National Hurricane Center gives this entity a 20% chance to develop over the next seven days as it nears the Yucatan.

Regardless of development, heavy rain will be likely across parts of Central America later in the week and over the weekend.

A new tropical wave, not yet highlighted by the National Hurricane Center, is emerging off the coast of Africa. Model guidance suggests development of this wave will be possible as it approaches the Lesser Antilles to start July.

European ensembles. Each line and 'L' represents a different solution from the separate member of the ensemble. Different conditions are out into the ensemble to see a range in the outcome. When multiple ensemble members tell a similar story there is more confidence in a forecast.

While the trade winds are still expected to be strong and dry air will be present thanks to Saharan Dust, water temperatures are more indicative of August than late June.

Development starts to become more common east of the Caribbean throughout July.

Saharan Dust

The large outbreak of Saharan dust currently blanketing the Atlantic typically backs off during the peak of hurricane season, giving way to a more favorable environment for tropical waves exiting Africa to develop.

The next named storm of the 2024 hurricane season is Beryl.


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About the Author

Jonathan Kegges joined the News 6 team in June 2019 and now covers weather on TV and all digital platforms.

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