The remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly could drench the Caribbean and possibly South Florida this week, while odds rise that a tropical depression or Tropical Storm Edouard could form along the U.S. Gulf Coast, forecasters said.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the area of disorganized thunderstorms in the southeastern Caribbean that had been Dolly was producing showers from Puerto Rico across to the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands.
The system is expected to head west to west-northwest near 25 mph. It’s currently battling against dry air and wind shear that extend over a large area in the Caribbean. Dry air and wind shear hinder tropical storm development.
Dolly’s remnants have potential for some redevelopment as the week progresses, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The projected direction of the system puts it near South Florida later this week if it is able to make it over the Greater Antilles.
As of 2 p.m., its odds of developing remained at 20% in the next seven days.
Meanwhile, the hurricane center is also monitoring a second storm system along the Gulf Coast near Louisiana and Texas could become a short-lived tropical depression or tropical storm this week, NHC forecasters said.
As of 2 p.m., its odds of developing spiked to 50% in the next two to seven days, an increase of 30%-40% from earlier Sunday.
Peak activity during hurricane season is generally mid-August through mid-October.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said it expects only seven to 13 named storms this year. Of those, two to six would become hurricanes. It also predicted that there might not be any major hurricanes this year, or at most two.