Hurricane center tracks 2 systems with tropical development potential

ORLANDO, Fla. — As the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season picks up steam, the National Hurricane Center continued Saturday to track two systems among the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico with a chance to develop into the season’s next tropical depression or storm.

As of the NHC’s 8 p.m. tropical outlook, the closest to the U.S. was a broad area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico near the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts that is producing some disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

“This system is expected to linger near the coast through much of next week, and some slow development is possible if it meanders offshore,” forecasters said. “Regardless of development, heavy rains could cause some flash flooding across portions of coastal Louisiana and the upper Texas coast during the next few days.”

The NHC gives it a 10% chance to develop in the next two days and 20% in the next seven.

Approaching the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles is a tropical wave several hundred miles east of the Leeward and Windward Islands with disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

“Slow development is possible as the disturbance moves westward and reaches the Lesser Antilles on Monday,” forecasters said. “Later next week, environmental conditions appear to become more conducive for development, and a tropical depression could form as the system moves across the western Caribbean Sea.”

The NHC gave it a 40% chance to develop in the next seven days.

A second tropical wave that was west of the Cape Verde Islands in the previous update was removed from the latest advisory.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has churned out five named storms so far. The next names on the list are Francine, Gordon and Helene.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s upgraded forecast issued earlier this month calls for 17 to 24 named storms, of which eight to 13 could become hurricanes, with four to seven that could develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.