Hurricane Center monitoring three storm systems this week
Jun. 28—On Monday, the National Hurricane Center was monitoring three systems in the Atlantic basin.
Invest 94L is expected to strengthen into a tropical depression over the next couple of days as the tropical wave approaches the Caribbean. If sustained winds reach 39 mph, it would become Tropical Storm Bonnie.
Another system in the northern Gulf of Mexico is also showing slow signs of development as it moves toward the Texas-Mexico coasts. Forecasters said any development would be slow as it drifts to the west over the northwestern Gulf, with only a 20% chance of development in the next five days.
AccuWeather meteorologist are advising residents along the Gulf Coast to be on alert for the possibility of a tropical system and flooding rainfall in a few days.
A third system is in the far eastern Atlantic.
A tropical system could be named a tropical depression without growing to tropical-storm status. It doesn't become named until the system has sustained winds of 39 mph, and isn't named a hurricane until it has sustained winds of 74 mph.
"As we reflect on another potentially busy hurricane season, past storms — such as Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the New York metro area ten years ago — remind us that the impact of one storm can be felt for years," said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. "Since Sandy, NOAA's forecasting accuracy has continued to improve, allowing us to better predict the impacts of major hurricanes to lives and livelihoods."
Forecasters at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center have predicted above-average hurricane activity for the 2022 season that runs June 1 to Nov. 30.
They predicted 65% chance of an above-normal season, a 25% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. They forecasted a likely range of 14 to 21 named storms, of which six to 10 could become hurricanes, including three to six major hurricanes. NOAA provided these ranges with a 70% confidence.
There were 30 named storms in 2020 and 21 in 2021.
The National Weather Service recommends families put together an emergency kit; check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters; make a plan with your family or close friends and decide how you will get in touch and where you will go if there is an emergency; plan your evacuation route and have an alternate route; and review your insurance policy.
