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Hurricane Center tracks 3 tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean

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The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean that could become tropical depressions later this week.

The NHC issued a warning early Tuesday morning that “disorganized showers and thunderstorms” are still occurring, in association with a tropical wave currently located over Hispaniola and the central Caribbean Sea.

According to the NHC, conditions may be favorable for the westward-moving wave to develop further when it reaches the western Caribbean Sea and southwestern Gulf of Mexico later this week and into the weekend, at which time a tropical depression could form.

Elsewhere, another tropical wave currently in the far eastern Atlantic is also producing showers and thunderstorms. The NHC says environmental conditions are expected to become “slightly more favorable for development” and that a tropical depression could form within a few days “as the disturbance moves slowly west-northwestward across the eastern tropical Atlantic.”

The third system is currently midway between the west coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles and is also producing scattered showers and thunderstorms, the NHC said. The agency said some “slow development” is possible over the next few days as the system moves west-northwestward, but that environmental conditions are expected to become “unfavorable” for further development by the end of the week.

According to the NHC, there is a 40 percent chance that the first two tropical waves will develop in the next seven days, while there is a 10 percent chance for the third.

Atlantic Storm Tracker

Is September busy with activities surrounding the Atlantic hurricane season?

Meteorologists say activity in the Atlantic will continue to increase as we head into September. The dry, dusty air from Africa that prevents storms from developing in the Atlantic is expected to diminish, AccuWeather hurricane expert Alex DaSilva told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

“The dust will clear and the Atlantic Ocean will come back to life,” he said.

He added that water temperatures in many parts of the ocean are warm enough for storms to form and thrive.

DaSilva said water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are at record highs. “If something happens in the Gulf, it can happen very quickly. People need to be aware: Storms can evolve very quickly and intensify very quickly.”

Computer models also show more activity in the Atlantic Ocean in September, as USA TODAY previously reported: “Long-term models are increasingly confident that the deep tropical Atlantic will soon produce a system worth tracking, and there is good reason to believe that September and/or October will be a busy month,” meteorologists Jeff Masters and Bob Henson wrote on their blog Yale Climate Connections.

There have been more storms in the Pacific than in the Atlantic so far this year, which is a bit of a surprise, meteorologists say. What’s more, the Atlantic has been eerily quiet for the past week as we approach the traditionally busiest time of the season.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].