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Four tropical disturbances brewing; two bear watching

Sun Sentinel

Four tropical disturbances are now brewing in the Atlantic, all with potential to spin up into depressions or storms over the next few days.

The two in the eastern Atlantic most bear watching because they are moving generally toward the Lesser Antilles, the Caribbean and potentially the U.S. coast.

One of those was about 450 miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, moving west at 15 to 20 mph. The other was 1,175 miles east of the Leeward Islands, moving northwest at almost 20 mph.

Both were given a 40 percent chance of developing in the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. tropical outlook on Friday.

For now, the models don't have a good handle on either system. But they indicate the one closer to the Lesser Antilles might curve north before reaching those islands. If so, it might remain clear of the U.S. coast.

Because it is on more of a southerly path, the disturbance closest to Africa might threaten the Lesser Antilles by early next week. From there, it could continue into the Caribbean or be a potential threat to the United States by next weekend.

An area of low pressure about 160 miles northwest of Bermuda does not appear to be a U.S. concern, as it is moving northeast out to sea. Still, the hurricane center said it is getting better organized, and gave it a 30 percent chance of developing over the next two days.

Another low-pressure area 700 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands was given a 20 percent chance of developing over the next two days, as it moves southwest.

The names of the next four storms: Franklin, Gert, Harvey and Irene.


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