Tropical Wave in the Atlantic May Turn Into Tropical Storm Ernesto

Meteorologists are already concentrating on a new possible danger in the Atlantic as Tropical Storm Debby’s leftovers deliver rain and floods to the Northeast and New England. Tropical Storm Ernesto may form from a tropical wave that is now situated between the Lesser Antilles and the Cabo Verde Islands in the south central Atlantic Ocean.

As it moves toward the Lesser Antilles, this tropical wave is predicted by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to intensify into a tropical depression by early to mid-next week. As the system moves farther west-northwest into the Greater Antilles, NHC forecaster Brad Reinhart indicated that there is an 80% possibility that it would strengthen into a tropical storm within the following seven days.

Ernesto is the name given to the system if it becomes a tropical storm. There are several waves that travel annually from the Indian Ocean over Africa and into the Atlantic, some of which may have an effect on the East Coast of the United States. While it is unlikely to develop into a tropical depression over the weekend, AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny says that the system’s approach to the Leeward Islands early next week may indicate otherwise.

Debby, a post-tropical storm today, is still having an effect on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Flash flooding has been triggered by heavy rain in southern New York and northern Pennsylvania, and additional rain is predicted in New England until things clear up on Saturday. This comes after a major rainfall event in the Southeast caused by Debby, which dumped more than a foot of rain in certain places and caused extensive flooding spanning from Florida to North Carolina.

The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30, with a peak date of September 10. The season’s most active period runs from mid-August to mid-October, thus the possible formation of Tropical Storm Ernesto may signal the start of a more active stretch.
As the situation changes, keep checking back for updates.