System southeast of Bermuda could become tropical storm

With just days to go before the official close of hurricane season, a non-tropical system located southeast of Bermuda has the potential to become a subtropical or tropical storm later this week or weekend, forecasters said.

The area of low pressure is forecast to develop along a front in the central Atlantic as soon as Wednesday, then travel southeast where it would encounter warmer water, which is conducive to tropical development. If it were to become a tropical storm, it would be Vince.

As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center had given it a 50% chance of developing in the next seven days, and 20% in the next two days. It is projected to to turn northeast by the weekend.

Non-tropical systems, such as the Atlantic low, and the storm that dumped up to 12 inches of rain on areas of South Florida last week, gain their energy from cold and warm air interacting, while tropical systems gain their energy from warm ocean waters.

Earlier this week, forecasters were monitoring a tropical disturbance located north of Colombia and south of Haiti, but it was hindered by dry air. As of Tuesday, it was no longer expected to develop.

There have been 19 named storms this Atlantic hurricane season this year, seven of which were hurricanes. Three of them were major hurricanes, meaning at least a Category 3.

The two remaining names for storms from the year’s initial 21-name list are Vince and Whitney.

Hurricane season ends Nov. 30.