ORLANDO, Fla. – The Atlantic continues to heat up as we head deeper into hurricane season.
The National Hurricane Center on Wednesday is monitoring Tropical Storm Dexter and two other areas of potential development.
While no immediate threats to Florida are expected, one system could still bring some indirect impacts to our local beach conditions.
Tropical Storm Dexter
Tropical Storm Dexter is spinning over the northwestern Atlantic, moving east-northeast at about 15 mph.
The storm has held on to strong convection in its eastern side, with sustained winds around 50 mph. While it’s battling strong wind shear, Dexter is expected to strengthen slightly over the next day as it interacts with a trough to its north.
Dexter is forecast to transition into an extratropical system by late Thursday or Friday, but it could briefly reach near-hurricane strength during that process.
The storm poses no direct threat to land, but it will continue to generate long-period swells that are increasing the risk of dangerous rip currents along Florida’s Atlantic beaches.
Off Southeastern US Coast
A weak disturbance several hundred miles off the Southeast coast is showing early signs of organization.
A low-pressure area is expected to develop from this system in the next day or so, and conditions could support gradual development.
There’s a 0% chance of formation over the next 48 hours, and a 30% chance over the next week.
While this system is not expected to come ashore, any development could enhance rough surf and rip currents along Central Florida’s Atlantic coast as it drifts toward the Carolinas.
Central Tropical Atlantic Wave
Further east, a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic is also being watched closely.
While it remains disorganized for now, environmental conditions appear favorable for slow development in the coming days. This system has a 30% chance of formation within 48 hours, increasing to a 60% chance over the next seven days as it moves west-northwest into the central Atlantic.
It’s too early to know whether this wave will pose any long-term threat to land, but it will be one to monitor as it continues its journey across the Atlantic.
The next named storms will be called Erin, Fernand and Gabrielle.