System has high chance to be tropical depression

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two systems Tuesday afternoon in the tropics, one with a high chance of becoming the next tropical depression or tropical storm, with a projected path straight up Florida.

First, an area of low pressure is moving at 15 to 20 mph and is 1,000 miles east of the Cabo Verde Islands, the NHC said in its 8 p.m. update. The system is producing a concentrated area of showers and thunderstorms.

At the moment, it’s on track to pass through environmentally favorable conditions boosting its odds of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm to 90% in the next five days. Several storm model projections show the system heading toward and past Florida’s direction; one projection has the storm making landfall in South

Florida.

Second, a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean Sea has improved odds of development Tuesday afternoon and is producing an area of disorganized thunderstorms and gusty winds. Meteorologists forecast significant development for the wave as it moves 20 mph west. The storm is predicted to slow down allow it to grow in strength and likely into a tropical depression by this weekend upon reaching the northwestern

Sea.

The wave has a 40% chance of developing in the next two days, and a 80% chance of doing so in the next five.

If either storm forms, it could become Tropical Depression 13 or if it spins up to tropical-storm-force strength with sustained winds of 39 mph, it would be named Tropical Storm Laura, the 12th named storm of the 2020 hurricane season, which runs through

Caribbean

Nov. 30.

Last week, meteorologists were tracking Tropical Storm Josephine and Tropical Storm Kyle; the tenth and eleventh storms of the 2020 season. Both were unusual developments as the tenth storm of previous hurricane seasons is usually observed halfway into October.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its hurricane forecast for the 2020 season predicting an extremely active season with about 19 to 25 named storms.

The 2020 hurricane season already has seen seven tropical storms: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Josephine and Kyle plus Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Isaias as well as a tropical depression that did not grow into named storm strength.

More coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/hurricane.