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The National Hurricane Center is advising interests in the Leeward Islands, among them the USVI and Puerto Rico, to monitor a weather system that is expected to develop into a tropical depression any day now.
According to N.H.C.'s 3:00 p.m. forecast, the weather system — an area of low pressure located about 1300 miles east of the Lesser Antilles — has been producing a concentrated area of showers and thunderstorms, and that environmental conditions are conducive for development.
N.H.C. stated that a tropical depression is expected to form within the next couple of days while the system moves west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph across the central and western portions of the tropical Atlantic.
"Interests in the Lesser Antilles should monitor the progress of this system," the center said.
N.H.C. gave the system a high chance of development in the next 48 hours at 80 percent, and 90 percent within the next five days.
Over the weekend, N.H.C. reminded that the peak of hurricane season — starting mid-August through late October — has begun and provided an important message to encourage preparedness.
"Preparedness is everything when you start thinking about the hurricane season," said Ken Graham, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. "So think about those hazards that stretch well outside that center, well outside the cone."
Mr. Graham said historically water has killed the most people in tropical systems. "So storm surge and that rainfall inland, that's what we got to protect ourselves from."
He added, "Don't forget it's also about the wind and it's also about those tornadoes so knowing your risks, having a plan to mitigate those risks, that's how we stay together in Hurricane Season 2020."
