Meteorology experts at the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) say that a tropical wave off the Cabo Verde Islands could become the second named storm of the 2023 season as environmental conditions remain favourable for further development.

The NHC, which has been tracking the Invest 92-L system earlier this week after it emerged off the western African coast, has upgraded the formation chances to a ‘medium’ likelihood at 40 per cent over the next 48 hours, and a ‘high’, 70 per cent possibility in the next seven days.

“A tropical wave located several hundred miles south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing a broad area of disorganised showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for
additional development, and a tropical depression is likely to form by the early to middle portion of next week while the system moves westward at [32 km/h] across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic,” the weather watchdog advised.

At the moment, initial projections suggest the tropical wave will meander north-northwest, remaining over the warm waters of the open Atlantic into next week, a trajectory that largely spares the Leeward Islands any direct impact.

Storm development, though possible this early into the hurricane season, is rare and has only been documented thrice before, according to respected meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.

“Only three named storms have formed in the tropical Atlantic (south of 23.5°N, east of 60°W) in June on record: Trinidad (1933), Ana (1979), Bret (2017),” he tweeted.

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