Clouds, showers and thunderstorms swirling over the central Atlantic in recent days are showing tropical characteristics.
Clouds, showers and thunderstorms swirling over the central Atlantic in recent days are showing tropical characteristics.
A broad area of clouds, showers and thunderstorms that have been swirling over the central Atlantic in recent days has been showing signs of acquiring tropical characteristics and could soon become a tropical depression or tropical storm near Bermuda, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The system is in a zone that extends from the central and western Atlantic to the Caribbean that AccuWeather meteorologists have had their eye on for potential tropical development in late October.
The National Hurricane Center has dubbed the system Invest 94L to more closely monitor the system for development in the short term.
Because of the concern for locally heavy rain, gusty winds and rough seas in Bermuda into Tuesday, AccuWeather is referring to the system as a tropical rainstorm.
Non-tropical systems of this nature occasionally can evolve into tropical or subtropical storms if they hang around long enough. Over time, energy can spin down to the lower, more tropical part of the atmosphere. This particular system has been hovering in waters east of Bermuda since last week.
The next name on the list that meteorologists are using to name tropical storms for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season is Lisa.
Satellite images during the daylight revealed that a low-level center was trying to form. However, part of that center was nearly free of clouds early on Monday. Since then, thunderstorms have been trying to build all the way around the center.
There is the potential for the system to organize enough to be called a tropical or subtropical depression or storm at any time over the next couple of days. A depression has sustained winds around a center of circulation under 39 mph. Once those winds reach 39 mph or greater, the system is then a tropical storm. A subtropical depression or storm has some tropical characteristics and some non-tropical characteristics.
This storm may already be at that subtropical stage as of the midday hours on Monday.
Steering breezes would tend to cause the system and its bands of showers and thunderstorms to track over Bermuda and in waters to the north of the islands through the first half of this week. Swimmers and boaters will notice an uptick in wave action. Conditions can become hazardous as a result.
The system is not likely to venture close enough to the United States to be of great concern. However, some showers and thunderstorms with stiff winds could get close enough to affect eastern Massachusetts on Tuesday night and early Wednesday and in eastern Maine from Wednesday to Wednesday evening before pushing into Atlantic Canada during the second half of the week.
As the system attempts to move northward, east of New England on Wednesday and south of Atlantic Canada Wednesday night, cool water may cause it to quickly transition to a rainstorm once again.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, there is an area of showers and thunderstorms near the Bahamas, which is similar in nature to the system near Bermuda, that bears watching for gradual tropical development for the middle and latter part of this week. As steering breezes shift later this week, it is possible for that system to wander close to Bermuda as well.
Produced in association with AccuWeather.
