Tropical Storm Lee likely to form soon

System not expected to be a threat to Florida

A newly formed tropical depression was likely to develop into Tropical Storm Lee on Friday, but it is not expected to be a threat.

Known as Tropical Depression 14, it is one of two weather systems that have emerged off the coast of Africa and are being monitored by the National Hurricane Center. Both are thousands of miles from South Florida.

“The most likely outcome is that TD 14 will become a tropical storm — perhaps as soon as Friday night … but fail to intensify much further,” said Jeff Masters, cofounder and director of meteorology for the web site Weather Underground.

All this as Tropical Storm Jose once again morphed into a hurricane and continues to circle in the Atlantic.

As of a 5 p.m. advisory, Hurricane Jose had sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving toward North Carolina at 10 mph.

A high-pressure system northeast of the hurricane will steer it to the northwest and then north over the weekend, putting Jose a few hundred miles east of North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Monday and then close to the coast of southeast Massachusetts on Wednesday, Masters said.

These developments are a reminder that as Florida tries to rebound from Irma, hurricane season is not over.

“The peak of the hurricane season is mid-August through late October, and conditions remain favorable across the Atlantic basin for systems to form and strengthen,” said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.

Tropical Depression 14 is actually closer to the coast of Africa than the other system. It is forecast to make a gradual turn to the westnorthwest early next week.

At 5 p.m. Friday, the depression had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was heading west-northwest at 12 mph.

The second system, a tropical wave, had an 80 percent chance of developing over the next two days and a 90 percent chance over the next five days.

It is still too early to determine what impacts, if any, either of these systems would have on the U.S. or elsewhere. The National Hurricane Center’s latest tropical weather maps show both as heading generally toward the Caribbean. It’s not possible to forecast with any certainty where they would go beyond that. Both are still over 3,000 miles from South Florida.

Still, these two systems are showing early signs of becoming typical, peak hurricane-season storms. Called Cape Verde storms, these cyclones form from winds blowing off the African coast — often near the Cape Verde Islands, the Atlantic’s hurricane incubator.

After forming in the far Atlantic they march westward toward the Caribbean, gathering strength as they make the dayslong journey.

“A common track runs from the far eastern Atlantic toward and onto the U.S.,” Feltgen said, referring to the cyclones that tend to form around this time.

So far this has been a busier-than-usual hurricane season.

“We still have two and half months to go in the hurricane season,” Feltgen said. “So it is important to remain vigilant and prepared.”

NOAA/COURTESY “The peak of the hurricane season is mid-August through late October, and conditions remain favorable across the Atlantic basin for systems to form and strengthen,” said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.