HURRICANE SEASON GETTING HOT

HURRICANE SEASON GETTING HOT

Two new weather systems - though still a long way away from Cayman - are getting the attention of hurricane forecasters as the 2022 hurricane season completes its first month.

Both systems are located in the Atlantic to the east of the southern Windward Islands and early indications are that they will continue moving toward the west.

Of the two, forecasters are keeping a particularly close watch on the system currently tagged as 94L which is an area of disturbed weather with the potential for development.

According to the US National Hurricane Centre, environmental conditions appear conducive for further development with the system upgraded to a tropical depression in the next few days.

It continues to move westward toward the Windward Islands and could potentially be the next main storm for the season so far.

A Hurricane Hunter aircraft was scheduled to investigate the system on Monday and interests in the Windward Islands and along the northeastern coast of Venezuela are being advised should monitor the progress of this system.

The NHC also said tropical storm watches or warnings could be required for some of the islands. 

Currently with weather system 94L, shower and thunderstorm activity has increased in association with the tropical wave which is located about 950 miles east-southeast of the southern Windward Islands. The barometric pressure is recorded at 1008 millibars low pressure and the system is moving west at around 16 knots.

The NHC says fresh to near gale force NE to E winds and seas of 8-11 ft are in the vicinity of the wave. 

The NHC also advises that regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall is possible over the Windward Islands and the northeastern coast of Venezuela Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, another tropical wave is also pushing into the Lesser Antilles.

That system just to the east of the islands is moving W around 15 kt. It’s already generating scattered showers and thunderstorms over several of the islands and across the eastern Caribbean Sea.

The forecast suggests more rainfall and gusty winds across the Windward Islands and southern Leeward Islands, spreading across the southerly Dutch ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire Curacao.

For what is expected to be another busy hurricane season, there’s already been one early storm.

Alex started as a tropical depression early this month in the Gulf of Mexico and grew into a tropical storm. It churned north-northeast into the Atlantic Ocean and brought storm conditions to Bermuda although it turned out to be less severe than initially feared.