At a Glance

One of the disturbances could near the northeastern Caribbean next week. Confidence is low that this system will cross the Atlantic. The second disturbance could bring heavy rain to Cabo Verde.

Two areas in the eastern Atlantic also being watched for the possible formation of a tropical depression this week. One of them may cross the Atlantic and become a threat to the northeastern Caribbean

(MORE: It's Peak in the Hurricane Season, But There's a Long Way to Go)

Atlantic Areas to Watch

Area #1

Much farther east, a is a few hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. This system is likely to form into a tropical depression as it tracks westward across the tropical Atlantic this weekend or early next week.

Certainty that it will follow the red circle in the graphic below is lower than usual. There is a possibility that this system will turn right and move northward sooner than later.

If this system can make it across the Atlantic without taking the right hand turn, it may arrive in the Leeward Islands early next week.

It's uncertain what, if any, land areas this system might affect in the long-term future.

Area #2

Another tropical wave is located just off the west coast of Africa.

Conditions may be favorable for some gradual development of this system as it moves slowly northwestward over the far eastern Atlantic early next week.

(The potential area(s) of tropical development according to the latest National Hurricane Center outlook are shown by polygons, color-coded by the chance of development over the next five days. An "X" indicates the location of a current disturbance. The current locations of Paulette and Rene are also shown in this map.)

We're also watching Tropical Depression 19 in the Gulf of Mexico. The forecast for this potential hurricane threat for the Gulf Coast can be found here.

Record Early, Again

The 2005 hurricane season previously held the record earliest "P" and "R" storms, , respectively.

After Rene, only four names are left in the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season names list. Additional storms after "Wilfred" would be named after letters in the . That has happened only once before, in the 2005 hurricane season.

2020 Atlantic hurricane season names list. Checkmarks show storm names already used through Sept. 7, 2020.

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