Caribbean eyes “vigorous” tropical wave as 2018 Hurricane season near the end

Caribbean countries were keeping a close eye on a “vigorous” tropical wave east of the Leeward Islands, Monday,  even as the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season ends later this month.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the wave, located about 200 miles east of the Leeward Islands – Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla –is producing a large area of disturbed weather over most of the western tropical Atlantic Ocean.

It said shower and thunderstorm activity increased Monday and that the forecast is for the disturbed weather pattern to pass westward to west-northwestward passing near the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the southeastern Bahamas during the next few days.

“Interests in these areas should closely monitor the progress of this system,’ the NHC said, noting that there’s a 90 per cent chance of the system developing over the next five days.

If it further intensifies into a named storm, it would be called Patty.

While Caribbean countries have been spared for most of the 2018 hurricane season, heavy rains in several countries have led to floods, landslides and millions of dollars in damage.