NHC says chances decreasing for development of tropical storm in Atlantic
Chances for a December tropical or subtropical storm are dropping as a system in the central Atlantic moves toward colder water, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The system still has some time to develop into a subtropical system, and there's a 30 percent chance it could become a named storm over the next 48 hours. On Wednesday, chances were 50 percent the system could become a named storm.
"An area of low pressure over the south-central North Atlantic Ocean is expected to sit over warm water for much of this week. Due to this, there is concern that the storm can take on tropical characteristics as thunderstorms build near its center," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
The Atlantic basin has been quiet since Hurricane Nicole hit Florida's East Coast as a Category 1 storm in November.
The Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1, officially ended Nov. 30.
If the system in the Atlantic does become a named storm, it would be Owen.
Here's the latest information from the National Hurricane Center:
What's out there and where is it?
Showers and thunderstorms have increased since near a large non-tropical area of low pressure located over the central subtropical Atlantic about 850 miles east-southeast of Bermuda.
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How likely is it to strengthen?
The system remains embedded within a frontal zone, which is expected to become more pronounced later today as the low begins to move east-northeast at 20 to 25 mph toward colder waters and interact with a mid-latitude trough.
Therefore, while the system could show some subtropical characteristics today, its chances to fully transition to a subtropical or tropical cyclone appear to be decreasing. Nevertheless, significant non-tropical development ofthis low is expected during the next couple of days.
Formation chance through 48 hours: low, 30 percent.
Formation chance through 5 days: low, 30 percent.
Who could be impacted by the system?
While the system is well away from land, some areas could still feel some impacts.
"This tropical system is expected to be large, spanning hundreds of miles. As a result, wind and rough seas can extend well away from the center of the storm," said Douty.
Areas most likely to be impacted include Bermuda and the Azores.
It's also possible rough surf could make it as far west as Florida's Atlantic coast, if the storm becomes strong enough.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Tropics watch: NHC advisory says potential for tropical storm dropping
