The strong tropical wave in the far western Atlantic could face some tough conditions that might slow it from strengthening, the National Hurricane Center said.
As of the 2 p.m. Friday update, forecasters lowered the wave’s chances of strengthening into a tropical depression down to 10% in the next two days or 20% in the next five.
The wave was booking it westward to west-northwestward at a 15 to 20 mph clip Friday afternoon, but forecasters said it could soon encounter some less favorable conditions that make formation less likely.
Bryan Norcross, a hurricane specialist at WPLG, tweeted that it appeared the system had run into a Saharan dust plume, which makes it slightly more difficult for storms to form.
An assistant scientist at the University of Miami and NOAA’s hurricane research division, Andy Hazelton, also noted on Twitter that the system was plowing into an area with cooler sea surface temperatures, another deterrent for storm formation.
The wide yellow area on the map is not a cone or suggested region that may be affected, it’s just a prediction for where the wave may form.
The next name on the 2021 storm list is Danny. Three tropical storms have been named so far this year, and NOAA has predicted 13 to 20 will form before the season ends November 30.