It’s becoming likely that we will see Tropical Storm Don within the next 72 hours as an area of disturbed weather in the far Atlantic takes on tropical cyclone characteristics. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), environmental conditions, are favorable for a tropical depression or a tropical storm to form within the next 24 hours or so while the low in question moves westward or west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph across the tropical Atlantic. The NHC believes there is a high chance -70%- that a tropical cyclone will form within the next 48 hours and a 80% chance of formation occurring within the next 5 days.
With Arlene, Bret, and Cindy passed, the next tropical cylone name that’ll be used in the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season is Don. With no other system showing signs of growth within the basin, this system will likely earn the name Don.
While there’s good agreement that this system will become a tropical storm within the next 72 hours, there is disagreement with what will happen to this system in the extended range. The system needs to pass through an area of dry air which may limit development and could even weaken it. Computer forecast guidance is conflicted in the long range, with some bringing the storm to the United States east coast in about 10 days. However, confidence is extremely low in both the mid range and extended range forecast with this system.
