Atlantic Ocean May See Tropical System Formation As Disturbance Gains Strength

The Atlantic Ocean has remained quiet for weeks, as expansive areas of Saharan dust and disruptive winds have limited the opportunities for tropical systems to form. AccuWeather meteorologists say that the lull could soon come to an end, as an area of disturbed weather in the central Atlantic may acquire tropical characteristics in the coming days.

Tropical Storm Cindy was the last named system to roam the waters of the Atlantic basin back in late June. Although Cindy did not bring direct impacts to land, the storm did contribute to an uptick in downpours across portions of the Leeward Islands, Bermuda and Atlantic Canada.

The latest area being monitored by AccuWeather forecasters is well away from land, located several hundred miles to the east-northeast of Bermuda as of Tuesday morning. The showers and thunderstorms associated with the feature remained disorganized early this week, showing no signs of organization or spin. These two factors can act as clues for forecasters when assessing a budding storm’s development chances.

Warm water and light winds over the area in question are both supportive factors for further development in the coming days, however AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva says there is a medium chance for tropical development with this feature from Wednesday through Friday.

“If a tropical system were to form, direct impacts to land are not expected; however, interests in the Azores should be mindful of rough surf this weekend,” DaSilva said.

Any potential tropical depression or storm would likely be short-lived given the cooler waters the system is expected to move over by the weekend. Those cooler waters should cause the system to quickly lose any wind intensity it may gain during its life span.

If the system were to be given a name, it would be called Don.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic basin, there were no other immediate areas of concern for tropical development as of Tuesday morning. Dust plumes of various thickness levels will continue to stream off the coast of Africa, limiting the development of tropical waves that will continue to traverse from east to west in the southern part of the basin.

However, DaSilva noted that conditions may become more conducive for tropical development in this region during the second half of July.

Produced in association with AccuWeather