Second tropical depression forms in the Atlantic

Published On: Jul 22 2014 01:26:59 AM CDT
Updated On: Jul 22 2014 01:30:58 AM CDT

Tropical Depression Two may be over warm water, and have little wind shear, but it's fighting dry air.


Concerns grew Monday afternoon as a second tropical depression of the 2014 Hurricane Season was forming in the Atlantic.

Experts said there is a significant dry Saharan dust to the north and west of the system.  

Saharan dust is very dry and sinks.  

Tropical systems desire warm moist air throughout the atmosphere, and prefer rising air.  There is also wind shear in its future.

Depression No. 2 is small, and there is a burst of convection that’s taking place, experts said.  

The dry air is not making it into the center of the system, but as it moves west, the dry air will impact it.

Winds aloft are at about 5-10 mph.  

Wind shear is caused by strong upper level winds that can tear tropical systems apart.  

As it moves towards the Lesser Antilles it will encounter stronger upper level winds that should tear it apart.  

The National Hurricane Center is dissipating the system Thursday as it moves closer to the Lesser Antilles.

Depression No. 2 is moving over warm water.  Water temperatures are in the low-to-mid 80s.  Warm water is conducive to tropical development.

The best chance for the depression to intensify is in the near future.  

It has low wind shear now and is over warm water.  

Dry air is not wrapping into it now, and it has had a burst of convection recently.

The National Hurricane Center is forecasting a near to slightly below normal hurricane season.  The average is 12 storms, six hurricanes and three intense.

The forecast: 8-13 storms, 3-6 hurricanes and 1-2 intense.

There was not any activity in June.  

Referencing 30 years of climatology, a named storm forms every other year in June.  

Monthly formations are based on Coordinated Universal time. Tropical depression one formed at 11 p.m. EDT, but it is actually classified as at July storm.

Arthur formed July 1 and lasted through July 5.  

It began as a depression near the Bahamas then made landfall as a category 2 hurricane near Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, with 100 mph winds.

Arthur is believed to be the earliest land falling hurricane in North Carolina history.

An average Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season normally has a tropical storm develop by July 9.

Typically in July, tropical systems form in the Gulf of Mexico and move North towards the Central Gulf Coast or west towards Lower Texas or upper Mexico.  

The second formation area is in the North Caribbean.  

Storms that form here normally move through the Yucatan Channel into the Gulf of Mexico.  

The third area of development is near the Bahamas.  

Storms that form near the Bahamas head towards the Mid-Atlantic coast or curve around the Bermuda High and head into the Atlantic.

Some of the storms that impacted our weather in July are Hurricane Bob in 1979, Hurricane Danny in 1979, Tropical Storm Bill in 2003, Hurricane Cindy in 2005 and Tropical Storm Bonnie, which became a remnant low as it approached the Louisiana coast in 2010.

The most active time period is late August into September.


blog comments powered by Disqus