With 14 named storms so far, the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season has already met and is close to surpassing the total of named storms from last season. Four systems, including Hurricane Lee, continue to swirl in the active Atlantic Ocean, including the next possible named storm.
Sept. 10 marked hurricane season’s climatological peak, which is still ongoing until November. Here’s a look at the current tropical activity in the Atlantic Basin as of Monday.
Hurricane Lee regained strength over the weekend and is once again a Category 3 hurricane as of the latest NHC advisory.
As of the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Lee had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
The powerful storm is moving safely away from the Caribbean Islands, but dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents have been buffeting the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. These conditions will continue spreading to Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Bermuda over the coming days.
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While Tropical Storm Margot is not expected to be a threat to the U.S., the National Hurricane Center said it is likely to become a hurricane by Monday night.
Margot is about 1,215 miles northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and has 65 mph winds. The storm is moving north at 8 mph and expected to keep heading north over the next several days.
The National Hurricane Center is also issuing advisories for two other disturbances in the Atlantic Basin.
The first, Invest 97L, is located several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and producing disorganized showers and thunderstorm activity.
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An “invest” is a designation given by the National Hurricane Center for tropical disturbances that warrant additional monitoring. Conditions appear more favorable for development as it moves further into the eastern tropical Atlantic.
The National Hurricane Center says 97L remains disorganized and has a low, 10% chance of forming into a tropical depression over the next week.
Another area worth watching is the tropical wave dubbed Disturbance 1, in the far eastern Atlantic between the Cabo Verde Islands and the west coast of Africa.
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According to the National Hurricane Center, environmental conditions appear favorable for a tropical depression to form by the coming weekend. In the meantime, there is no chance of development in the next two days and a 60% chance of development over the next week.
If this system becomes the next named storm of the season, it would become Tropical Storm Nigel.