MIAMI — Forecasters have projected that a broad area of low pressure in the Atlantic, which is associated with a tropical wave, will become a tropical depression in the coming days.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami, in its morning report today, upgraded its forecast for the area of low pressure, one of two weather systems churning in the Atlantic basin.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service (NWS) in San Juan issued a hazardous weather advisory for St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John today saying that “thunderstorms with heavy rainfall” are expected for these areas.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is not expected to see any effects from Invest 97L until Saturday, if current projections hold, according to the NWS.
The tropical system in the Atlantic has been given a 60 percent, or medium, chance of formation through 48 hours and a 80 percent, or higher, chance through five days.
The area of focus is located about midway between the west coast of Africa and the Windward Islands and is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms, the NHC said.
The system, it added, continues to show signs of organization.
“Environmental conditions appear generally favorable for development, and a tropical depression is likely to form during the next few days while the system moves west-northwestward at about 20 miles per hour,” the NHC said.
Additionally, the NHC said significant development of a tropical wave located just east of the Lesser Antilles is unlikely while it moves quickly westward to west-northwestward at 20 to 25 miles per hour, passing through the Lesser Antilles Wednesday and then across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea later this week.
Although it has a low chance of formation, the system is producing disorganised showers and thunderstorms.
“Regardless of development, this system could bring locally heavy rainfall to portions of the
Lesser Antilles during the next day or two,” the NHC said.
The formation chance through the next five days has been pegged at 10 percent.
