Peter downgraded into depression; Tropical Storm Rose getting pummeled by storm-shredding wind shear

Robin Webb and Victoria Ballard, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
·2 min read

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Peter deteriorated into a tropical depression by Tuesday afternoon while storm-shredding, upper-level winds left Tropical Storm Rose barely clinging to its tropical storm status.

By midday, Peter’s maximum sustained winds fell to 35 mph. Rose remained at top winds of 40 mph, just 1 mph above the minimum threshold for a tropical storm.

Wind shear and cooler water temperatures have hindered the development of both storms this week, a trend that will continue for the next couple of days, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters don’t believe either storm will survive that time frame.

In addition to Peter and Rose, forecasters are expecting a tropical depression to form as early as Wednesday in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. If it were to become a tropical storm, it would be Sam.

By 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday, the system in the far eastern Atlantic was several hundred miles off the southwest coast of Africa and was starting to better signs of organizing, the center said.

As of 5 p.m., Peter was 160 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving west-northwest at 8 mph. Forecasters expect its ultimate path will curve north later this week toward Bermuda and away from the Caribbean.

Peter could bring 1 to 4 inches of rain to parts of the Virgin Islands and northern portions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Peter, which formed early Sunday in the central Atlantic, should quickly become a remnant low, forecaster said.

Tropical Storm Rose, located in the far eastern Atlantic, is expected to weaken back into a tropical depression as early as Tuesday night. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Rose, located 1,000 miles off the coast of Africa, was moving northwest at 10 mph and was still clinging to tropical-storm status with 40 mph maximum sustained winds.

Including Sam, the remaining storm names for the 2021 season are Teresa, Victor and Wanda.

Should we run out of storm names, late-season storms will no longer carry baffling Greek names like Zeta and Theta that were used last year.

The World Meteorological Organization announced in May that the Greek alphabet names were ditched for being confusing. Too many letters, such as Zeta and Theta, sounded similar. Forecasters found themselves fielding questions from the media and public about the use of Greek letters rather than about the storms themselves.

Experts have opted to use an overflow list of proper names instead. The list includes Adria, Braylen, Caridad, Deshawn, Emery, Foster, Gemma and Heath.

So far in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30, there have been 17 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

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(Sun Sentinel staff writer David Fleshler and Angie DiMichele contributed to this report.)