Tropical Tease or Trouble?
By Gil Simmons on July 24, 2012, 1:00pm
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories.
1 of 2 
A very interesting tropical wave has emerged off the West Coast of Africa over the past 12 hours or so. Strong convection noted just off the coastline. It is highlighted by the red in the image above where the coldest cloud tops are detected by the satellite.
I drew some arrows that correspond with upper levels winds in the area. There is some shear and the environment may not be completely favorable for rapid development right now. A mass of convection like this must be monitored for possible future development if the shear decreases.
The Atlantic Season started off very busy then like a switch, turned quiet. Could this be the beginning of an active period? There is a developing El Nino influence as well that typically enhances shear over the Atlantic basin making it tough for storms to develop.
The next slide shows something that could promote a developing "Cape Verde" season. In other words...storms forming in the area where this wave is above!
Take a look.
