Tropical Depression Seven forms in the Atlantic

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - A new tropical depression formed Wednesday morning in the Atlantic. An area of low pressure moving toward the Caribbean Sea has the potential to grow into a tropical storm by this evening or early Thursday, with a path headed for Puerto Rico.

Wind speeds will increase just a bit to reach tropical storm status, somewhere around 40 miles per hour at the lowest. If it stays on a western path, impacts could be felt around the Leeward Islands, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico by this weekend. There’s still too much uncertainty of where this will end up after Saturday, with some model projections curving this away from the United States.

If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Fiona. There’s a few factors that will limit how strong this system becomes, including land interaction in the Dominican Republic and possible shear (increased upper-level wind speeds or direction). It’s best to have light winds blowing roughly in the same direction to maintain a stronger tropical system. Stronger winds in the mid and upper levels will generally prevent worse outcomes.

Your 4Warn Weather Team will of course keep a close eye on this tropical depression and all other potential threats that are floating around in the Atlantic.

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