The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has its eyes on two tropical waves over the Atlantic basin which could bring heavy rains to sections of the Caribbean, including Jamaica.
The first wave is located just east of the Lesser Antilles and the NHC said it has disorganised showers and thunderstorms associated with it.
“Significant development of this system is unlikely while it moves quickly westward to west-northwestward at 20 to 25 mph, passing through the Lesser Antilles today and then across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea later this week,” the NHC stated.
Regardless of development, weather forecasters said the system “could bring locally heavy rainfall to portions of the Lesser Antilles during the next day or two”.
The tropical wave has a 10 chance of formation during the next 48 hours and a low 10 per cent chance during the next five days.
The second system is, however, becoming better organised, and it possesses a greater likelihood of becoming a tropical depression over the next few days.
This system is a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave, which is located about midway between the west coast of Africa and the Windward Islands.
According to the NHC, “This system is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms that continues to show some signs of organisation.
“Environmental conditions appear generally favourable for development, and a tropical depression is likely to form during the next few days while the system moves west-northwestward at about 20 mph.”
Against that background, interests in the Windward and Leeward Islands are being urged by the NHC to “closely monitor this system as it will likely be moving through that region on Friday”.
The tropical wave has a 60 per cent or medium chance of formation during the next 48 hours, and a high or 80 per cent chance during the next five days.