The National Hurricane Center is tracking a trio of disturbances in the Atlantic Hurricane Basin, including one hurricane. It’s too soon to tell whether one in the far Atlantic will be a threat to North America while another could be a threat to the U.S. within the next week.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is issuing advisories on Hurricane Kirk, located over the central tropical Atlantic Ocean. Kirk is located about 1,115 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. It is moving to the northwest at 13 mph with a minimum central pressure of 986.
The NHC expects Kirk to strengthen into a Major Hurricane with winds greater than 110 mph in the coming days. But it is also likely to move more north and eventually northeast with time, not threatening any landmass as it does so.
In the far Eastern Tropical Atlantic east of Kirk is another disturbance being tracked by the NHC. There, showers and thunderstorms continue to show signs of organization in association with an area of low pressure located a few hundred miles south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. The NHC says environmental conditions appear conducive for further development of this system, and a tropical depression is expected to form during the next day or so while it moves slowly westward over the eastern tropical Atlantic. For now, the NHC says there’s a 90% chance of tropical cyclone formation here over the next 48 hours. It is too soon to say where that system would go if it forms; for the next week, it won’t be any threat to any land.
Closer to the United States, a broad trough of low pressure is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms from the southwestern Caribbean Sea into the southern Gulf of Mexico. The NHC says environmental conditions could support some gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend as the broader disturbance moves fully into the Gulf of Mexico.
Some forecast models suggest a new tropical storm or hurricane could form from this disturbance, possibly impacting the U.S. coastline that continues to recover from the recent impact of Hurricane Helene.
“Interests along the U.S. Gulf Coast should continue to monitor the progress of this system,” is the advice offered by the NHC for now. They believe there are low odds of any formation over the next 48 hours but things could improve for formation odds beyond that.
Elsewhere, the NHC isn’t monitoring any specific area or disturbance for signs of tropical cyclone development in the Atlantic Hurricane Basin.
The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season runs through to the end of November.
