It is officially peak hurricane season! There’s no question that the tropics are churning out storms and tropical waves left and right.

In addition to two named tropical storms, Paulette and Rene, which you can find out more about here, there are multiple areas in the tropics that we’re keeping our eye on.

Let’s start to the waves closest to the United States.

Latest NHC Forecast

For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical
Storm Paulette, located over the central tropical Atlantic, and on
Tropical Storm Rene, located over the eastern tropical Atlantic.

1. A trough of low pressure located just off the coast of North
   Carolina is producing minimal shower and thunderstorm activity.
   This system is expected to move inland over eastern North Carolina
   this afternoon, and therefore significant development is not
   expected.

• Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
• Formation chance through 5 days…low…near 0 percent.

1. A large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms centered a
   couple of hundred miles northeast of the Central Bahamas is
   associated with a surface trough of low pressure. This system is
   forecast to move westward, crossing the Bahamas and Florida on
   Friday and moving into the eastern Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.
   Upper-level winds are expected to become conducive for some
   development of this system while it moves slowly west-northwestward
   over the eastern Gulf of Mexico early next week.

• Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
• Formation chance through 5 days…low…30 percent.

1. Another trough of low pressure has developed over the northeastern
   Gulf of Mexico and is producing a few disorganized showers and
   thunderstorms. Some slow development of this system is possible
   while this system moves westward and then southwestward over the
   northern and western Gulf of Mexico through early next week.

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

1. A tropical wave is now moving off the west coast of Africa,
   producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms. Gradual
   development of this system is forecast, and a tropical depression
   is expected to form by this weekend or early next week while the
   system moves generally westward across the eastern and central
   tropical Atlantic.

• Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…60 percent.
• Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent.

1. Another tropical wave is forecast to emerge off the west coast of
   Africa this weekend. Environmental conditions are expected to be
   conducive for development, and a tropical depression could form
   over the far eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean early next week while
   the system moves slowly westward.

• Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
• Formation chance through 5 days…medium…40 percent.