MIAMI — A rain system over the southwestern Caribbean Sea has a 30 percent chance of becoming a hurricane in the next 48 hours, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said this morning.
“Some slow development of this system remains possible over the next couple of days if it remains over open water… The system will have another opportunity for gradual development in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico,” the NHC said.
Forecasters say Larry could become a Category 3 hurricane later in the week as it makes a northern turn by the weekend.
The latest tropical system to be named could become the 2021 hurricane season’s next major storm, but the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are not likely to be impacted.
Tropical Storm Larry sits south of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands with winds of 45 miles per hour as it moves west at 20 m.p.h. Forecasts say Larry could become a Category 3 hurricane later in the week as it makes a northern turn by the weekend.
Larry is expected to remain away from the United States, but forecasters will watch for any changes.
Meanwhile, Kate was downgraded to a tropical depression with winds of 35 m.p.h. Wednesday as the system slowly moves to the north. No impact is forecast for the United States as Kate moves away from land.
A third area located in the southwestern Caribbean Sea could slowly develop by the weekend before interacting with Central America and later the Yucatan Peninsula to prevent it from becoming a major storm. The National Hurricane Center gives this area a 20 percent chance of development over the next five days.
If the area does become named, it would be named Mindy and be the 13th named storm of the season.
