Tropical Disturbance in Atlantic Under Careful Watch

By SHERRI LONON (Patch staff)

While it’s still way too early to tell for certain if a large tropical disturbance kicking up in the Atlantic will eventually form into a named storm, the National Weather Service is monitoring its development closely.

As of Monday evening, the area of low pressure was located several hundred miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands and was ”gradually becoming more organized,” according to the National Weather Service. Weather service forecasters say the storm has a 60 percent chance of forming into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours. Those chances rise to 80 over the next five days.

“Environmental conditions appear conducive for additional development of this system, and a tropical depression will likely form within the next few days while the system moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph,” the National Hurricane Center wrote in its 8 p.m. Monday update.

As of Monday evening, the storm posed no immediate threat to the United States, but forecasters say it bears careful monitoring.

National Weather Service meteorologist John McMichael reminds: “It’s still very far away from us. Just continue to monitor its progress.”

The weather service intends to do just that, with updates on development planned for release at 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. daily.

Check out your local Patch’s homepage for an extended forecast for your neighborhood.

Earlier this summer, NOAA forecast a light hurricane season.

Graphic courtesy of the National Hurricane Center