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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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National Hurricane Center (NHC) meteorologists are monitoring a disturbance near the South Carolina and Georgia coastlines this week as the Atlantic hurricane season begins to take off.
Newsweek reached out to the NHC by email for comment.
Why It Matters
The new disturbance comes as Tropical Storm Dexter became the fourth named storm for the Atlantic hurricane season on Sunday. The season began on June 1 and runs through November 30.
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July was relatively quiet for the Atlantic, with no named storms forming after Tropical Storm Chantal hit the East Coast in early July. Now, in addition to Dexter, the NHC is monitoring two other disturbances in the Atlantic, one of which could develop near the Southeast U.S. coastline.
What To Know
As of the most recent forecast on Monday, the new disturbance has a 30 percent chance of strengthening into a tropical system within the next seven days. There's a zero percent chance it will do so in the next 48 hours. Chances it will form are considered low by the NHC.
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Although it is too early to determine a potential path if it takes shape, NHC meteorologists said the system is expected to drift west or northwest as the week progresses, which would bring it closer to the U.S. shore.
If it forms, it could become Tropical Storm Erin, the fifth named storm of the season. However, the NHC also is monitoring a tropical wave off the western coast of Africa that has a greater chance of development. There's a chance that system could form first, becoming Erin. Then, if the system closer to the U.S. forms, it would be named Fernand.
Weather experts have issued repeated warnings this summer that peak Atlantic hurricane season doesn't typically hit until September, urging people to take precautionary action, such as stocking up on emergency supplies and ensuring they have proper insurance in place, before a storm forms.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting from 13 to 19 named storms for this year's Atlantic hurricane season, with six to 10 strengthening into hurricanes and three to five into major hurricanes.
What People Are Saying
NHC forecast regarding the system near the Southeastern U.S.: "A broad area of low pressure is forecast to develop in a couple of days a few hundred miles off the coast of the southeastern United States. Some gradual development of this system is possible during the middle or latter portion of this week as the system drifts slowly westward to northwestward."
National Weather Service (NWS) office in Tampa, Florida, in a post on Facebook on Monday: "NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center has initiated advisories for Tropical Storm #Dexter. This storm poses no threat to the region. Additionally, there are other tropical disturbances that we are monitoring, with no immediate concerns beyond heavy rainfall later this week."
What Happens Next
NHC meteorologists will continue to monitor the system as it progresses. As of the most recent forecast, there were no warnings or watches in place for the Southeast coast.
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