RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Tropical meteorologists and researchers are keenly interested in a disturbance nicknamed “Invest 97L.” It’s a cluster of tropical convection in the eastern Caribbean about 200 miles southeast of Puerto Rico.
NASA sent one of its Global Hawks to investigate the system Wednesday. The “environmental hawk” (NASA872, for your reference when you’re tracking it) searches for ingredients that feed storm formation and intensification.
This system is likely to pass over the landmass of Hispaniola the next two days, which will disrupt its organization. But forecast models sense a quick recovery. Notice how the forecasts show the system’s intensity spiking after 48 hours:
And half of them take the intensity all the way to our first hurricane of the season!
But first things first. If this system is able to organize enough to earn a name, it will be Gabrielle. So, where is would-be-Gabrielle going? Most of the forecast models keep it away from the U.S.
Even though this system looks as of right now like it won’t pose a threat to the U.S., we’re far from the end of the tropical cyclone season! And ocean temperatures remain favorably warm for storm development. Prepare now for the rest of this season!
CLICK HERE to learn how to prepare.
You can track the latest in the tropics with our CBS 6 Hurricane Tracker.
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Meteorologist Carrie Rose
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