FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It appears Tropical Storm Peter and Tropical Storm Rose are no match for the storm-shredding, upper-level winds that have moved in over the Atlantic Ocean.
Wind shear and cooler water temperatures hindered the development of both storms Monday, a trend that will continue Tuesday, experts said. They are forecast to weaken over the next couple of days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In addition to Peter and Rose, forecasters are expecting a tropical depression to form as early as Thursday in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. If it were to become a tropical storm, it would be Sam.
Peter’s forecast track is expected to pass north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, potentially bringing 1 to 4 inches of rain, with storm totals of 6 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The rain could reach the portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the northern portions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Peter, which formed early Sunday far east of the Caribbean Sea, will continue to struggle against storm-shredding wind shear and may weaken to a tropical depression by late Wednesday or Thursday, forecasters said.
Peter’s top winds were at 50 mph as of 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday as it moved west at 12 mph about 107 miles from of the boundary between the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Forecasters expect its ultimate path will curve north later this week toward Bermuda and away from the Caribbean.
Tropical Storm Rose, located in the far eastern Atlantic,, is expected to weaken back into a tropical depression by late Tuesday or Wednesday. Its top winds had dropped back to 40 mph Tuesday, just 1 mph above the minimum threshold for a tropical storm.
Including Sam, the remaining storm names for the 2021 season are Teresa, Victor and Wanda.
Should we run out of storm names, late-season storms will no longer carry baffling Greek names like Zeta and Theta that were used last year.
The World Meteorological Organization announced in May that the Greek alphabet names were ditched for being confusing. Too many letters, such as Zeta and Theta, sounded similar. Forecasters found themselves fielding questions from the media and public about the use of Greek letters rather than about the storms themselves.
Experts have opted to use an overflow list of proper names instead. The list includes Adria, Braylen, Caridad, Deshawn, Emery, Foster, Gemma and Heath.
Both Peter and Rose are forecast to stay well out to sea, according to the hurricane center.
So far in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30, there have been 17 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
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(Sun Sentinel staff writer David Fleshler contributed to this report.)
