An area of low pressure in the Caribbean is more likely to turn into a tropical weather event than previously thought, the National Hurricane Center has said.
The center first said yesterday that the system had a low chance of developing into a cyclone, just 20 percent in the next few days. Late on Monday it upped that likelihood to 40 percent.
Related: Hurricanes are getting stronger and faster than they were 30 years ago
The area is a broad surface of low pressure in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, east of the Belizean coast. The system is already creating some showers across Cuba and Florida and those are likely to continue over the next few days, possibly getting much heavier even if the system does not develop into a stronger storm.
For the next 48 hours though, the chances of the system forming into a tropical or subtropical storm are zero, the center says. Beyond that, the chances rise to 40 percent.
730 PM Special Tropical Weather Outlook. Medium chance (40%) of development of a broad low pressure system is possible late this week over the central or eastern Gulf of Mexico. Locally heavy rainfall is the main threat across western Cuba & Florida during the next several days. pic.twitter.com/YOxqiGDPhf
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) May 22, 2018
A further update on the system is expected from the center at 8am Eastern Time on Tuesday.
"Medium chance (40 percent) of development of a broad low pressure system is possible late this week over the central or eastern Gulf of Mexico," the center wrote on Twitter. "Locally heavy rainfall is the main threat across western Cuba & Florida during the next several days."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
