Tropical Depression 13 forms in Atlantic, could become ‘powerful hurricane’ this week
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Another major hurricane could be on the horizon as Tropical Depression 13 took shape in the central tropical Atlantic Ocean late Tuesday morning.
The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Depression 13 officially formed over the central tropical Atlantic about 900 miles west-southwest of Cape Verde. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph with higher gusts.
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The NHC said the system will likely become Tropical Storm Lee before strengthening into a “powerful” major hurricane later this week as it nears the northern Leeward Islands.
The NHC is also tracking a strong tropical wave that is forecast to move off the coast of West Africa on Tuesday.
Once the wave moves offshore, the NHC said a tropical depression could form over the far eastern tropical Atlantic during the middle to the latter part of the week.
The system is expected to move across Cape Verde Wednesday night and Thursday. It has a 70 percent chance of formation over the next seven days.
The NHC also said Post-Tropical Cyclone Franklin “could acquire some subtropical or tropical characteristics late this week or this weekend while it moves erratically between the Azores and Portugal.”
The system, which was once Hurricane Franklin, has a 20 percent chance of forming over the next seven days.
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