COLUMBIA, S.C. — The National Hurricane Center is monitoring another area in the tropics for potential development.
An area of low pressure is getting better organized in the Atlantic. The disturbance is several hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda.
It is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms. Additional development is possible.
The system could become a subtropical depression tonight or Saturday. After Saturday, further development is not expected.
The NHC gives this area a 50% of further development over the next two days.
If this disturbance gets strong enough to be named, it will be called Cristobal.
So far this year, we have already had Arthur and Bertha. Hurricane season does not officially begin until Monday.
Bertha made landfall near Mount Pleasant Wednesday morning as a weak tropical storm.
According to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, of Colorado State University, the earliest third named storm on record during a hurricane season occurred on June 5, 2016.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters expect this hurricane season will be busier-than-normal.
NOAA predicts there will be 13 to 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which six to 10 could become hurricanes (74 mph or higher).
NOAA forecasts that there could be between three to six major hurricanes (Storms that reach category 3 or above).