TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)— The National Hurricane Center is tracking a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa earlier this week but, as of Wednesday, the wave does not appear to have a very good chance of developing.
The wave has been designated Invest 97L. According to the NHC, it was several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands as of Wednesday morning, producing disorganized storms.
While the NHC says some gradual development is possible in the coming days, environmental conditions are expected to become less favorable.
Those unfavorable conditions include more plumes of Saharan dust we’re tracking off the coast of Africa. The plumes help to keep the tropics quiet thanks to the dry air and winds.
“The NHC is really limiting this chance of development because that Saharan dust is keeping it at bay – it’s not allowing it to organize,” WFLA Meteorologist Amanda Holly said. “So we’re not worried about that for now.”
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The system is expected to move west across the tropical Atlantic over the next several days. The NHC has given it a low 20 percent chance of formation in the next 48 hours and a low 30 percent chance of formation in the next five days.
The next storm that forms in the Atlantic basin will be given the name Danielle. Despite the quiet stretch we’ve been experiencing the past several weeks, this year’s hurricane season is still expected to be above-average.
Tracking the Tropics streams at 2 p.m. ET every Wednesday during hurricane season.
