The National Hurricane Center is watching five tropical waves in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Right now it looks to be all clear for the next week, but now would be a good time for home and business ownders to start making hurricane preparations, before things get nasty.
August is traditionally the beginning of the most active season for hurricanes in the Atlantic. Hurricane season lasts from June 1 through Nov. 30, with Sept. 10 the peak.
The most recent named storm was Hurricane Don, which dissipated nearly two weeks ago in the deep Atlantic. The next storms to be named would be Emily and Franklin.
According to an update from Colorado State University last week, the primary threat formation area for major hurricanes in early- to mid-August is in the tropical Atlantic east of the Lesser Antilles. CSU’s Tropical Weather and Climate Research Team is predicting 18 named storms this season, including the five we’ve already seen.
Eight of them are expected to become hurricanes and four are predicted to be major hurricanes.
Two days previously AccuWeather forecasters updated their prediction of what’s left for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season and warned the Atlantic basin could get “very active” in the coming weeks.
AccuWeather is now forecasting 13 to 17 named storms this year, higher than the initial forecast of 11 to 15 storms released in March, with four to eight forecast to become hurricanes, and one to three predicted to become major hurricanes.
A major hurricane is a Category 3 storm or higher, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Here is the latest update from the NHC as of 2 p.m. Aug. 8:
Tropical wave 1: An eastern Atlantic tropical wave has its axis along 20W, south of 17N, moving westward at 5 kt. Scattered moderate convection is noted from 09N to 14N and east of 23W.
Tropical wave 2: Another eastern Atlantic tropical wave has its axis along 35W, south of 17N, moving westward at 15-20 kt. Scattered moderate convection is noted from 05N to 08N between 35W and 37W.
Tropical wave 3: A central Atlantic tropical wave has its axis along 58W, south of 19N, moving westward at 15-20 kt. Scattered moderate to isolated strong convection is evident from 10N to 15N and between 57W and 61W. These storms are likely producing gusty winds. Seas in the area range 4-6 ft.
Tropical wave 4: A central Caribbean tropical wave has its axis along 72W, south of 20N, moving westward at 15-20 kt. Scattered thunderstorms are noted in the northern portion of the trough axis, N of Hispaniola from 19N to 22N between 69W and 74W.
Tropical wave 5: A western Caribbean tropical wave has its axis along 86W, south of 19N, moving westward at 15-20 kt. Most of the convection associated with this wave is occurring in the eastern Pacific.
