Louisiana residents prepare for Hurricane Francine strengthening
As the state prepares for Hurricane Francine, many communities along Louisiana’s coast are under mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders.
Hurricane Francine is not the only storm on the map: meteorologists are tracking four other disturbances over the Atlantic, which now seems to have fully awakened from its sleep.
This is not surprising: This week is the typical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Although none of the systems pose an immediate threat to the mainland, all of them must be monitored for possible tropical development, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday.
The location of the four systems ranges from a system just off the US coast to a tropical depression far out at sea near Africa (this just became Tropical Depression Seven)
System could form near the US coast
Meteorologists expect a system could form off the southeast coast of the United States early next week. However, it is forecast to meander across the Gulf Stream or drift slowly northward offshore as it forms. As of Wednesday, the probability of the system forming in the next seven days was 20%.
Tropical Depression Seven near Africa becomes Gordon
Far out at sea, a system that emerged from Africa developed into Tropical Depression Seven on Wednesday morning.
If the storm is named as predicted and no other system is named first, it will be named Tropical Storm Gordon.
The storm is expected to move westward across the Mid-Atlantic over the next few days. It poses no immediate threat to mainland areas.
Hurricane forecasters are also tracking two other systems in the Atlantic
The hurricane center is monitoring two other possible systems, but both have a low probability of forming. One system near the Leeward Islands has only a 10 percent chance of forming, as dry air is expected to limit its formation.
The last system in the central tropical Atlantic had a slim chance of developing on Wednesday before strong upper-level winds were forecast to limit further formation of the system by Thursday, the hurricane center said.
