As Gert swells to a Category 2 hurricane, Atlantic could see Tropical Storm Harvey soon

Tropical weather in the Atlantic is picking up steam this August.

In addition to Hurricane Gert, there are three other disturbances being tracked by the National Hurricane Center (NHS), and one of those just became the ninth tropical weather system they’ve issued an advisory for.

A low-pressure system, roughly 550 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, has just been designated “Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine” by the NHC. It has an 80 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next two days and a 90 percent chance in the next five.

It’s making its way into the Caribbean, and is likely to become the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season’s next tropical depression at some point on Thursday. The NHC reports that it will eventually develop into a hurricane. If it does, it will be given the name Harvey.

It is currently moving west at 15 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to fly into the disturbance on Wednesday afternoon. The storm is expected to follow a path through the Caribbean before making landfall in Central America.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Martinique, Barbados, St. Vincent, the Grenadines and St. Lucia. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Dominica.

Meanwhile, Gert has picked up steam since yesterday, graduating to a category 2 hurricane and motoring east-northeast into the northern Atlantic at 39 mph. The storm is now sporting sustained winds of about 100 mph. Since becoming a category two storm, though, it has hit cooler waters and is starting to weaken, the NHC reports. No coastal watches or warnings are in effect at this time.

Right behind Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, about halfway between the west coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles, is another area of low pressure the NHC is keeping its eye on. It is moving west-northwest at around 15 to 20 mph and is expected to gradually develop over the next few days. It is given a 50 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next two days and a 60 percent chance in the next five.

A tropical wave is also being tracked near the Cabo Verde Islands. It is extremely disorganized at present but could slowly pick up steam as it travels across the Atlantic. It is given a zero percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next two days and a 40 percent chance in the next five.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 11:49 AM with the headline "As Gert swells to a Category 2 hurricane, Atlantic could see Tropical Storm Harvey soon."