The first tropical wave to develop off of Africa’s west coast this year is moving westward.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is keeping a close eye on this area of showers and thunderstorms, which was located a couple of hundred miles southeast of the Cape Verde Islands Wednesday afternoon.
At this time, this disturbance, which is being called Invest 94-L for now, poses no threat to land. However, NHC forecasters believe that atmospheric conditions are “marginally conducive for some slow development through the weekend.” The system is moving to the west around 15 mph.
So, why is this system so interesting?
Well, here’s a little background about Cape Verde storms. According to the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Cape Verde-type hurricanes are storms that develop into tropical storms fairly close to the Cape Verde Islands and then become hurricanes before reaching the Caribbean. This development usually occurs in August and September. What’s even more significant about these storms is that Cape Verde-type hurricanes have a reputation of making landfall in the United States.
Now, there is no way to tell just yet whether or not this tropical wave will strengthen into a tropical storm or hurricane. In fact, it’s still in its early stages of development. However, keep a close eye on this system over the next few days. We’ll have more information about it for you from the Live VIPIR Forecast Center.
Sources: NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Weather Underground
