MIAMI — The second named system of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season could form as soon as today, but it will not be impacting the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The National Hurricane Center reports Potential Tropical Cyclone Two is west-southwest of the northern tip of the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia. It currently has winds of 40 miles per hour and is moving west at 20 miles per hour.
A hurricane watch is in effect from the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua to Laguna de Perlas, Nicaragua while a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the coastlines of Venezuela and Colombia.
Forecasts have the system continuing its fast movement before moving across Central America tomorrow and emerging over the eastern Pacific Ocean this coming weekend. Formation could make it Tropical Storm Bonnie as early as today while possibly becoming a hurricane both before and after crossing land.
Two other potential systems are also being tracked, with one in the northern Gulf of Mexico having a 40 percent chance of development over the next two days and expected to impact Texas. An area in the central Atlantic Ocean has a 10 percent chance of development over the next five days as it moves to the west-northwest.
One thing that seems to be likely is the moisture from this wave not reaching the territory until the weekend. Computer models show this tropical wave could spread rain across the area, but it’s early and the V.I. Freep First Alert Weather team will continue to watch.
The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially began June 1 with researchers predicting an “above-normal” year.
The first named system occurred in early June, when Tropical Storm Alex formed off Florida’s east coast after moving across the state, dropping massive rainfall and causing flooding in South Florida as Potential Tropical Cyclone One.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s averages for the Atlantic hurricane season is 14 named storms and seven hurricanes. The average for major hurricanes is three.
Last month, NOAA released their predictions for this year, calling for an “above-normal” 2022 with 14-21 named storms expected.
