FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ As Tropical Storm Jose continues to circle in the Atlantic, posing minimal threat to land, a pair of rough-weather patches off the African coast are just two more indications that while Irma might be over, hurricane season is not.
"The peak of the hurricane season is mid-August through late October, and conditions remain favorable across the Atlantic basin for systems to form and strengthen," said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.
Both potential systems are far out in the eastern Atlantic and have a medium chance of formation over the next five days, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
The one closer to the Caribbean has a 60 percent chance of formation over the next five days while the one closer to Africa has a 40 percent chance, say hurricane specialists at the National Hurricane Center.
It's too early to determine what impacts, if any, either would have on the U.S. or elsewhere.
Still, the two areas of storms and clouds are showing early signs of becoming typical, peak hurricane-season storms. Called Cape Verde storms, these cyclones form from winds blowing off the African coast _ often near the Cape Verde Islands, the Atlantic's hurricane incubator.
After forming in the far Atlantic they march westward toward the Caribbean, gathering strength as they make the dayslong journey. Once in the vicinity of the Caribbean, they tend to turn north toward the United States.
"A common track runs from the far eastern Atlantic toward and onto the U.S.," Feltgen said, referring to the cyclones that tend to form around this time.
Many of the most devastating major hurricanes on record have been Cape Verde hurricanes: Andrew in 1992, Katrina in 2005 and Matthew in 2016.
So far this has been a busier-than-usual hurricane season but it remains to be seen if Florida will be hit by more than one hurricane this year.
"Remember 2004 and 2005? Florida was hit with several hurricanes in each of those years, including Wilma in October 2005," Feltgen said. "We still have 2 { months to go in the hurricane season, so it is important to remain vigilant and prepared."
