2 disturbances in Atlantic; 1 could reach Southeast as a depression

The southeast coast could see a tropical depression as soon as Monday if a disturbance off the coast strengthens further, the National Hurricane Center said. It could bring gusty winds, localized flooding and a strong rip current.

The hurricane center is tracking two disturbances in the Atlantic — the one pointed toward Georgia and South Carolina and another with a low chance of strengthening anytime soon.

The one closer to the

U.S. was about 500 miles east-southeast of the Georgia-South Carolina border as of the 2 a.m. update on Sunday and headed west at about 15 mph.

As the pressure started to drop around it and the thunderstorms near it began to organize, forecasters hiked its chances of strengthening into a tropical depression to 50% in the next two or five days.

It could strengthen further as it crosses the warm waters of the Gulf current just offshore the southern coast of the U.S.

The other disturbance, an area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave off the coast of Africa, was more than 700 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands as of the afternoon update. It was booking it west at 20 mph and forecasters said “little, if any” development of this system is expected in the next few days.

They gave it a 20% chance of forming in the next two days and 30% in the next five, a slight bump from Saturday’s numbers.

Andy Hazelton, an assistant scientist at the University of Miami and NOAA’s hurricane research department, tweeted that dry air to the south and not-as-favorable sea surface temperatures to the north have squeezed the system into a narrow path.

NOAA forecasts another active storm season this year, with 13 to 20 named storms. Three have formed so far and the next name on the list is Danny.