Forecasters monitoring disturbance in Atlantic as hurricane season nears peak period
The hurricane season is inching closer to its months of peak activity, and after nearly a month of calm in the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters are tracking a new disturbance off the coast of west Africa.
At 2 a.m. on Monday, the National Hurricane Center gave the tropical wave a 40% chance of developing in the next five days while also upping its chances of such further organization over the next 48 hours to 10%. Forecasters are expecting some gradual development as it heads west across the Atlantic.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week updated predictions for activity this hurricane season.
Experts are now predicting 14 to 20 named storms and six to 10 hurricanes, with three to five of them a Category 3 or higher.
“We’re just getting into the peak months of August through October for hurricane development, and we anticipate that more storms are on the way,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad wrote in a news release Thursday.
The statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is Sept. 10.
There have been three named storms so far this year: Alex, Bonnie and Colin. Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm, dumped as much as 12 inches of rain on parts of South Florida.
The six-month-long hurricane season ends on Nov. 30. The next named storm will be Danielle.
