ORLANDO, Fla. _ A tropical wave in the west Atlantic gained strength and has a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression over the next five days, while the other, closer system is finished growing but still threatens rain for Floridians Friday and Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday night.
The tropical wave in the mid-Atlantic Ocean has continued to gain strength as it traverses through a "corridor of favorable conditions" for tropical development about 1,100 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, said WOFL-TV meteorologist Jayme King.
The storm is moving in the general direction of Florida at 15 mph through an area of warm, moist air and low wind shear giving it a strong chance of organization and growth into a powerful system.
It has a 20% chance of development over the next 48 hours, according to the NHC's 8 p.m. EDT update.
A disturbance that has enough circulation to become a tropical depression can have maximum sustained winds up to 38 mph. It becomes a named tropical storm if its sustained winds exceed 39 mph, and a hurricane with winds of more than 74 mph.
If it does strengthen, it could become the third named storm of the 2019 hurricane season, donning the name "Chantal."
The second disturbance is stretched over the Bahamas and Cuba, but isn't expected to develop tropically at all, the NHC said.
The storm should bring some heavy rain for Florida starting late Friday before it travels northwest and away from the United States, the NHC said.
