Tropics Heat Up: Tropical Depression #5
By Quincy Vagell on August 1, 2012, 7:30pm
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At 5 p.m. AST, Tropical Depression #5 officially formed.
After a relatively silent month of July in the tropical Atlantic, August is off to a hot start with a new Tropical Depression. Most of the forecasts show some gradual strengthening and we could have Tropical Storm Ernesto on our hands relatively soon.
And looking ahead to next week, the National Hurricane Center and one of the dominant weather models both show a hurricane moving into the Gulf of Mexico and approaching the United States. Read on for more details on the possibility of this happening.
5 P.M. Details:
Maximum winds: 35 MPH
Movement: WNW 18 MPH
Position: 810mi E of the Windward Islands
Minimum Pressure: 1008 MB
National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast:
The NHC is forecasting the storm to gradually strengthen and to become a Hurricane by Monday around the area of Jamaica.
Discussion:
The system has developed in an area that is plenty warm for tropical development, but there are a few things to watch. Some wind shear could play a role, although the forecast track keeps this system south of the worst wind shear
Continue on to Slide 1 for a further discussion on what we can expect to happen, followed by a 5-day forecast from the NHC.
