Weather disturbance develops in the eastern Atlantic

A weather disturbance has been identified in the Tropical Atlantic, roughly 1,950 miles east of Trinidad.

Effectively, a weather disturbance is a pulse of energy moving through the atmosphere, and is important because a disturbance can lead to the formation of a storm.

According to the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), satellite imagery over the past 12 hours indicates increasing squalls and signs of a developing ‘circulation centre’.

The DDM said the disturbance is located near an area that is ‘favourable for tropical development’.

“However, the disturbance will be fighting a generally hostile environment on its westward path toward the Caribbean over the next five days,” the DDM said.

Forecasters estimate a 20 percent chance the disturbance will develop into a tropical storm over the next day or two, the department added.

It said, beyond that point, “the disturbance will begin encountering a less favourable environment for development”.

“Forecasters think it will bring increased showers and thunderstorms to the islands of the northeast Caribbean next Sunday evening, but not likely as a tropical storm,” the DDM added.

The department is encouraging residents and visitors to monitor the disturbance. It said the DDM will provide updates as the system progresses.

In the meantime, a ‘non-tropical low-pressure’ weather system has also been identified in the region.

The DDM said that system is located in the open Atlantic a few hundred miles south of Bermuda.

“Although forecasters’ have not identified it as a tropical disturbance, there is a 20 percent chance that the National Hurricane Center may upgrade it to a subtropical depression or storm over the next few days as it tracks southwest of Bermuda then turns to the northeast and heads out to sea over the weekend,” said the DDM.