Tropical depression forms in Atlantic, second disturbance being watched by forecasters. Will either one affect Mississippi?

Published 1:55 pm Monday, June 19, 2023

Just 19 days into the 2023 Hurricane Season and weather forecasters are keeping their eyes on two weather disturbance that could have a chance of affecting the Southeastern U.S.

The National Hurricane Center issued an advisory for a tropical depression that has formed in the Atlantic and reports that conditions are favorable for the depression to form into a hurricane.

In its advisory that was issued at 11 a.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center said the depression is forecast to strengthen and move across the Lesser Antilles as a hurricane on Thursday and Friday, bringing a risk of flooding from heavy rainfall, hurricane-force winds, and dangerous storm surge and waves.

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Given the larger-than-usual uncertainty in where the storm is headed, officials said it is too early to specify the location and magnitude of where these hurricane weather conditions could occur. However, everyone in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands should closely monitor updates to the forecast for this system and have their hurricane plan in place.

Weather models are in disagreement as to where the storm system may be headed. Some weather models suggest the storm could head into the Gulf of Mexico and toward the gulf coast. Other models suggest the storm would track east of Florida and not affect the U.S. mainland.

A second weather disturbance is also being watched carefully by forecasters who report that conditions appear favorable for further development. The tropical wave, located several hundred miles from the Cabo Verde Islands continues to produce a large are of disorganized showers and storms. Forecasters put the chance of formation into a tropical storm and hurricane at 40 percent through the next 48 hours and at 50 percent over the next seven days.