Weather forecasters are keeping a close eye on the Atlantic Ocean this week, where a low-pressure system has a medium chance of forming into a tropical depression by midweek. At the same time, four separate tropical waves are making their way west across the ocean.
According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, the low-pressure system in the eastern Atlantic is expected to merge with a tropical wave over the next couple of days. As atmospheric conditions improve by midweek, the system could grow stronger as it travels west-northwest across the central Atlantic.
Across the broader region, meteorologists are watching four tropical waves at different stages:
- Eastern Atlantic Waves: Two active waves in the open ocean—one near the African coast and another further west—are generating scattered showers and thunderstorms.
- Central Atlantic Wave: A third wave is currently surrounded by dry Saharan dust, which is smothering storm activity and keeping it quiet for now.
- Caribbean Wave: A fourth wave is moving through the central Caribbean. While it isn’t producing active thunderstorms, it is kicking up strong winds and high waves near the southern coast of the Dominican Republic.
Elsewhere in the Caribbean, rough waters prevail. High pressure near Bermuda combined with low pressure near Colombia is creating strong trade winds. Winds off the coast of Colombia and in the Gulf of Venezuela are reaching up to 35 mph, pushing wave heights up to 10 feet.
By contrast, the Gulf of Mexico is experiencing relatively calm weather. High pressure across northern Florida is keeping winds light and waves mostly under 3 feet across much of the basin, though brief evening wind surges and scattered thunderstorms are expected near the Yucatan Peninsula and southwest Florida throughout the week.
Forecasters warn that as the main high-pressure system slowly shifts south over the next few days, trade winds across both the Caribbean and western Atlantic could pick up strength.
READ :Strong El Niño Expected To Keep Late-Summer Heat Lingering Across The U.S. This Fall
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