Hurricane season not over yet: Forecasters eye developing system in Caribbean

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season isn't quite over yet: Forecasters are keeping an eye on an area of stormy weather in the Caribbean Sea that's expected to organize into a tropical depression or storm within the next few days.

In fact, the National Hurricane Center is giving the system a 70% chance of developing into a depression or storm by the end of the week as the system moves northeastward across the Caribbean.

"Interests in Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, the southeastern Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands should monitor the progress of this system," the hurricane center said Tuesday afternoon. "Regardless of development, this system has the potential to produce heavy rains over portions of the Caribbean coast of Central America and the Greater Antilles through the end of this week."

Coastal flooding and damaging wind gusts are also possible as the system develops, AccuWeather said.

As of Tuesday, the system is not predicted to be a threat to the mainland United States.

Tropical Storm Vince?

According to AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco, "should this area of low pressure strengthen into a tropical storm, it would be named Vince." She added that it would also leave Whitney as the only name left on the main list of names if another tropical system takes shape over the Atlantic basin before the end of the year.

Fortunately, there is a supplemental list of names that would be used if both Vince and Whitney are used. The first name on that list is Adria, followed by Braylen, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

It's been an above-normal season

With 20 named storms so far, including a subtropical storm in January, the season has now "met NOAA's definition of an above-normal season," according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

During a typical hurricane season, only 14 named storms form across the Atlantic basin, AccuWeather said.

Specifically, Klotzbach said that June, August and September were above average, while July and October were near average.

The season officially lasts until Nov. 30, though storms occasionally form in December.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Vince could form in the Caribbean, NHC says