By EFE
Jun 29, 2024, 08:16 AM EDT
Miami – The second tropical storm of 2024 in the Atlantic basin formed this Friday east of Barbados and could become a hurricane as it approaches the Windward Islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.
The NHC, based in Miami, Florida, reported in its most recent bulletin the formation of the tropical storm, which is moving at 30 kilometers per hour (18 miles) west with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles).
The depression, located 1,785 kilometers (1,110 miles) east-southeast of Barbados in the Caribbean, is expected to move across the Windward Islands late Sunday and Monday.
Meteorologists predict that the system will strengthen as it moves through open waters and become a hurricane in a couple of days.
There are no coastal emergency warnings in effect at this time. However, the NHC notes that the Lesser Antilles should closely monitor the progress of this system.
In the hurricane season in the Atlantic basin, which began on June 1, two tropical storms have formed so far, Alberto and Beryl.
This year, the Atlantic will have a well-above-average hurricane season, with the possibility of up to 13 hurricanes, of which up to seven could be major, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The forecast indicates that a total of between 17 and 25 storms could form this year, that is, with maximum sustained winds above 62 kilometers per hour.