Arkansas Storm Team Blog: High chance of tropical wave in the Atlantic becoming tropical depression

As of Wednesday afternoon, September 3, a tropical wave in the open tropical Atlantic has a high chance of developing into a tropical depression in the next 7 days. Under favorable environmental conditions, as the wave moves west-northwesterly, it has a medium chance of forming into a tropical system in the next 2 days. As of Wednesday afternoon, the wave is a few hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. The National Hurricane Center comes out with updates on the Atlantic Basin 4 times a day, so this information will change.

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If a tropical system does form from this wave, which is looking likely, meteorologists will know more about its potential track once there’s a system that has formed. For now, this wave is something to watch, wait, and check in on for the next week or so. It’s over a week away, on average, from the U.S., which isn’t to say this will impact the U.S., but instead to point out that there is plenty of time to watch its movement.

The next name on the Atlantic’s 2025 list is Gabrielle. As of September 3, the Atlantic has had 6 named storms, only one of those being a hurricane. The lone hurricane so far this season was Erin, which peaked at Category 5 status.

It’s critical to get weather information from trusted meteorologists, especially regarding the tropics. There are social media accounts from non-meteorologists that will post inaccurate and ill-informed weather information to garner attention and likes. If a forecast seems worrisome, check its validity with trusted meteorologists.