NHC watching area off African coast; Development unlikely

The official start of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season isn’t until June first, but the environment is already signaling that a system could form well before then.

Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center identified an area of low pressure that they are monitoring in the tropics.

“So there’s an area of low pressure over the eastern Atlantic Ocean, a little under a thousand miles northwest of the Cape Verdes, that the NHC has outlined as something to monitor for development,” Florida Public Radio Emergency Network Meteorologist Megan Borowski said. “The chance that it becomes a tropical system is quite low, about a 10 percent chance over the 5-day period, because the low is slated to enter an environment with hostile winds.”

Borowski said that even though this system shouldn’t become a tropical system, and it is thousands of miles from North America, it serves as a reminder that hurricane season is coming, and that Florida residents need to finalize preparations here at home.

She added that although the official hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin doesn’t start until June 1, it is possible for storms to form before then and reminded residents to take an inventory of their properties and evaluate the needs of their families should a storm threaten our area.

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WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.