Hurricane Center: Tropical storm could develop in Caribbean later Monday

This tropical wave is expected to continue producing locally heavy rains and gusty winds to portions of the Virgin Islands today.

Those same conditions are expected to affect Jamaica this afternoon or tonight, and the Cayman Islands overnight, the hurricane center said.

After a storm-free July, the system is developing right on cue, in line with predictions that storm activity would ramp up this month. If the system strengthens, it could be upgraded to Tropical Storm Earl. If it musters named status, it would be Earl, and mark the first Atlantic basin tropical cyclone to form since Tropical Storm Danielle limped into central Mexico on June 20.

The system is moving along toward the west at 20 to 25 miles per hour, with heavy rain over Hispaniola today as a result with tropical storm force conditions moving over Jamaica later this afternoon, reaching the Cayman Islands overnight.

Formation chance through 48 hours is high at 70 percent and formation chance through five days is also high at 80 percent.

WFTV’s Rusty McCraine explained, “The tropical wave looks very impressive this morning, and we have observations of tropical storm force winds on the northern and eastern side”.

The system will continue to move westward over the west-central Caribbean Sea.

“The consensus among forecast models for the track of Invest 97-L is several hundred miles south of Tampa Bay towards the Yucatan Peninsula and southern Gulf”.

The fifth tropical storm of the season is going to arrive early this year.