Featured Stories | Storm Central

By Beth Stibal |

TS Bill forms in Atlantic, NHC watching other areas of concern

tree palm weather Hurricane or tropical storm wind buffeting palm trees
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The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on recently upgraded Tropical Storm Bill, located more than 300 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Tropical Storm Bill is a fish storm and is moving northeast, out to sea with sustained winds of 50 mph.
The National Hurricane Center says there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
While T.S. Bill is not a threat to land, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring two other areas of concern in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Africa.
However, thankfully, a Saharan dust cloud will retard tropical development over the Atlantic and the Gulf for the next few days.

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(Courtesy: National Hurricane Center)

Meanwhile, there is an area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the Bay of Campeche in association with a broad low pressure area. Gradual
development of this disturbance is possible during the next couple of days while it meanders near the coast of Mexico.
The system should begin to move northward by midweek, and a tropical depression is likely to form late in the week when the low moves across the central or northwestern Gulf of Mexico.
Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Central America and southern Mexico during the next several days.
Heavy rains could also begin to impact portions of the northern Gulf Coast on Friday.

And, a tropical wave located several hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing a large area of cloudiness and disorganized showers.
Any development of this system should be slow to occur during the next few days.
Thereafter, a combination of dry air aloft, Saharan dust and strong upper-level winds will limit chances of formation while the wave moves over the central tropical Atlantic.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.

But, a massive Saharan dust cloud is expected to pass over Florida this week which is a good thing during hurricane season because it keeps tropical development to a minimum.
The dust can also refract sunlight and make for some of our prettiest sunrises and sunsets enhanced with pinks, oranges and reds.

The Saharan dust is making its way from the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to be over Florida during the middle of the week, with its thickest dust on Wednesday. However, thinner amounts will stick around through at least Saturday.