good morning all. Storm clouds building over Atlantic ocean
Tropical depression could be over Caribbean in a few days
Updated: 27 minutes ago
NEW YORK - A tropical depression formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center said Monday.
The center said that the system, which could conceivably build into a hurricane later this week, was located about 520 miles west-southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and about 2,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
The depression is moving toward the west near 21 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph, and could develop into a tropical storm with winds of 39-73 mph in the next 24 hours.
All of the weather models show the system could cross the Leeward Islands over the next several days and enter the Caribbean Sea. The Leeward Islands include the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Saint Martin, Saba, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Barbuda, Antigua, Montserrat, Guadeloupe and Dominica.
The energy market watches for tropical storms because they can disrupt U.S. oil and natural gas production and refining if they enter the Gulf of Mexico.
Commodities traders also track tropical storms because they can damage crops in Florida and along the Gulf Coast.
Separately, the NHC noted a tropical wave interacting with an upper level low over the northwestern Caribbean. The NHC said upper level winds were currently not conducive for development, but could become a little more favorable in a couple of days as the system moves west-northwest at about 10 mph possibly into the Gulf of Mexico over the next day or so.
The NHC will name the next Atlantic storm Dean.
