NU Online News Service, Aug. 18, 2:38 p.m. EST
The Atlantic Basin could experience its first hurricane of the season next week, according to meteorologists at AccuWeather.com.
Churning in the eastern Atlantic Ocean several hundred miles west of the African coast is a "tropical wave" that has caught the eye of weather experts.
The storm is a long way off, but AccuWeather says several of its models show the storm strengthening into a hurricane headed toward the U.S. Southeast late next week.
"When several models show the same outcomes, it highlights a more significant potential that may unfold," reports Kristina Pydynowski, senior meteorologist.
Meteorologists have also identified obstacles in the wave's path. Right now dust and stable air from Africa is preventing the system from developing. Even if the wave were to break free from these conditions and strengthen, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola stand in its way before reaching the Southeast coastline.
Where the potential hurricane strikes would become clearer after overcoming these obstacles, and although the models show a potential Southeast landfall, "residents across the Northeast should monitor the wave in the event it rides up the East Coast with its heavy rain and strong winds," writes Pydynowski.
If the wave does form into a tropical storm, it would be named Harvey.
Tropical Strom Gert early this week passed to the far east of Bermuda and was forecast to continue a north-northeast track into the Atlantic Ocean, posing no threat to the U.S.
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