The National Hurricane Centre in Miami says they will likely upgrade a tropical disturbance in the eastern Atlantic to the second tropical depression of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane season sometime Thursday. It comes as they monitor another strong wave which dumped more than an inch of rain on Barbados and St Lucia Wednesday.

 

Developed from a strong tropical wave that came off the African coast just after midnight Tuesday, tropical depression #2 poses no immediate threat to the Caribbean islands.

 

Computer tracking models are mixed. Some showing that the system will turn northward as it reaches midway between Africa and the Caribbean but then as it gains latitude it will turn to the left and skirt the islands in the northeast Caribbean by late next week. Others show that it will turn northward and continue harmlessly into the open Atlantic Ocean.

 

The intensity varies as well with some predicting an early death and others forecasting a strong hurricane. At 2am tropical depression 2 was estimated to be near latitude 12.4 north and longitude 22.2 west or about 2,200 miles east of the Caribbean.

 

It has maximum sustained winds of 35mph and is moving at 8mph west northwest.

 

Intensity computer models from the hurricane centre indicate that the depression would quickly strenghten into a tropical storm by the weekend and briefly hold hurricane status in about five days for just a few hours.

 

Meantime, forecasters are also monitoring a strong tropical wave that passed over Barbados on Wednesday dumping more than an inch of rain. The wave has a weak low pressure area.

 

Though they are monitoring for development, the centre said that environmental conditions are not expected to become favourable.

The wave is expected to continue to produce heavy rain and gusty winds over sections of the Leewards Islands on Thursday.

Source: www.caribbean360.com