The National District and the provinces of La Vega, Monseñor Nouel, Monte Plata, San Cristobal, Santo Domingo, San Pedro de Macoris, Hato Mayor, Samana and María Trinidad Sanchez are feeling the impact of passing Tropical Depression Peter. Scattered showers and some thunderstorm showers are happening as the storm moves north in the Atlantic. The national weather service (Onamet) has several provinces under alert for possible flooding
Nevertheless, what most concerns the local weather forecasters is an active tropical wave that is developing off Africa. Invest 98L is moving west and could become a tropical storm as it nears the Caribbean. This will not be known for another four days.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says environmental conditions are expected to become more conducive for development, and a tropical depression is likely to form by Thursday, 23 or Friday, 24 September while the system moves westward at 10 to 15 mph across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic Ocean. NHC says that the tropical wave has a 90% formation chance through Saturday, 25 September.
The weather forecasters say one has to wait until Saturday to see whether a ridge will develop and the storm will move west through the Caribbean or west northwest to the Bermuda area.
Deciphering Weather says there are favorable wind shear environment for the development of the storm. There is a lot of ocean heat that can transfer to thunderstorms, leading the storm to intensify rapidly. This means that hurricane preparations should be completed as this could be the big one this year.
If Invest 98L hits it will be named Sam. The other named storms are Teresa, Victor and Wanda. Historically, August and September have been the months when hurricanes have hit the Dominican Republic.
Read more:
El Caribe
Onamet
DR1 Weather
NHC
Deciphering Weather
22 September 2021