A tropical depression will likely form in the Atlantic next week, the National Hurricane Center says.
Right now, the weather pattern is just a “tropical wave,” and it’s south of the Cabo Verde Islands — about 4,000 miles from the East Coast of the U.S.
But over the next seven days, there’s around a 70% chance the tropical wave will turn into a tropical depression, according to the NHC. (A tropical depression can turn into a tropical storm, which can turn into a full-on hurricane).
Tropical storm Arlene in the Gulf of Mexico became the first named storm of the 2023 hurricane season on June 1.
Could it become Tropical Storm Bret?
If it becomes a named storm, it would be an unusual event.
A tropical storm gets a name when its sustained winds reach 39 mph; it becomes a hurricane when its winds reach 74 mph.
On Friday, respected hurricane forecaster Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University tweeted that 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).
Coincidentally, if this system gets a name, it would likely be Bret as well.
What is a tropical wave?
A tropical wave, also known as an easterly wave, is an elongated area of relatively low pressure that moves from east to west across the tropics. To the west of the system, there is often good weather. To the east, though, cloudiness and heavy rain are often found.
Tropical waves can lead to the formation of a tropical cyclone, according to NOAA. This includes tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.
