Potential storm appears off East Coast as hurricane season danger ramps up
Chances are currently low that the system will become a tropical cyclone, but hurricane forecasters say hurricane danger is on the rise.
An area of low pressure is expected to form on the night of Saturday, Aug. 2, or Sunday, Aug. 3, near the coast of the Carolinas with a one-in-five likelihood of becoming a cyclone over the span of a week, hurricane experts say.
The "area of disturbance" is forecasted to form along a frontal system off the southeastern coast of the United States, according to an Aug. 2 tropics advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center at 2 p.m. ET. The development could continue through Monday as it slowly moves east northeastward; after this time, "environmental conditions become less conducive for development," the advisory continues.
The center forecasted a 30% chance of forming through the next 48 hours and a 30% chance through the next seven days.
The system comes as August begins, a time when forecasters expect the so-far unremarkable Atlantic hurricane season to ramp up.
"We’re already seeing longer-range forecast models start to perk up," WPLG-TV hurricane expert Michael Lowry previously told Paste BN. "The deep Atlantic tropical waves coming from Africa have been peppier this week, and July 24's long-range forecast models jumped from a generally quiet next 15 days to a much busier look for the first part of August."
The center is also tracking three tropical waves in the Caribbean, not currently forecast to be a threat. One is moving west near the Caribbean to northeastern Venezuela, another is moving west in the central Caribbean and the other is moving west in the northwest Caribbean near Honduras.
Will the system impact the Carolinas?
Forecasters aren't currently worried about the system ruining beach vacations or causing major damage for residents.
The threat level for the "area of disturbance" remains low, even in the one-in-five chance that it develops into a cyclone within the next seven days, weather service meteorologist Aaron Swiggett told Paste BN.
When is hurricane season?
Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to Nov. 30 every year, with the most activity between August and October.
Should another weather system develop into a tropical storm, the system would be named Dexter, which is next on the list of 2025 Atlantic hurricane season names.
Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang and Doyle Rice, Paste BN NETWORK