ORLANDO, Fla. — After weeks of no tropical depressions or storms, the Atlantic finally saw the emergence of Tropical Depression Five, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 5 a.m., TD 5 was located about 975 miles west of the Azores with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph moving east-northeast at 2 mph. Deep in the mid-Atlantic, the system is no current threat to land but is forecast to develop into a tropical storm by the end of the day and what could be the season’s first hurricane before the end of the weekend.
Meteorologists are tracking two more weather systems with chances of becoming tropical depressions or storms in the next two to five days, according to the 8 a.m. Thursday outlook.
The first system with high chances is a broad and elongated area of low pressure located several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands. The system is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms, said Lisa Bucci, an NHC specialist. The system has a 60% chance of forming into a tropical depression or storm in the next two days and an 80% chance in the next five.
As of 8 a.m., the system is forecast to move slowly west-northwestward, toward the adjacent waters of the northern Leeward Islands.
The system’s development could pose a problem for NASA’s plans to launch its Artemis I rocket Saturday. NASA officials noted the system’s potential path could be a threat to a Saturday launch after Artemis missed its Monday opportunity to blast off from Kennedy Space Center due to a fuel leak. Its next flight opportunities are during windows on Saturday and Monday.
Additionally, the NHC is tracking a broad area of low-pressure northeast of the Cabo Verde islands. However, the system had its odds of development lower Thursday morning. The NHC gives it a 30% chance of formation in the next two to five days.
The system could become a short-lived tropical depression in a couple of days before heading into an unfavorable environment. Whether it does mature or not, the system could bring heavy rain to portions of the Cabo Verde Islands Thursday.
If any of the systems form into a named tropical storm, it would become Tropical Storm Danielle. After that, the hurricane season’s names are Earl, Fiona, and Gaston. TD Five skipped being named TD Four because of a system the NHC tracked that was given the name Potential Tropical Cyclone Four that brought rain to Mexico and Texas in mid-August but did not form into a system.
The 2022 hurricane season has had only three named storms and none since early July. If that sounds like hurricane season is moving slowly, it’s because it is. Typically, the fourth named storm of the year emerges by or before Aug. 15, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The first hurricane is usually seen by Aug. 11.
But this season went the entire month of August without a named system. Despite the recent silence in the tropics, the NOAA still predicts an above-average year with 14 to 21 named storms as of an early August forecast. The hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, with the traditional peak of hurricane season running from mid-August to mid-October.
The 2020 hurricane season set a record with 30 named systems, while 2021′s season was the third most active with 21 named systems. An average year calls for 14 named storms.
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