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Hurricane Season Not Over Yet

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist for AccuWeather.com

AccuWeather.com reports though the tropical Atlantic appears a bit winded after throwing so many punches so far this season, there are more rounds to go in this fight.

Just like there can be a warm spell in January or a period of wet weather in July, there can be a lull during the heart of hurricane season.

According to AccuWeather.com Hurricane Coordinator Dan Kottlowski, there are two concerns in the tropical Atlantic this week, despite a somewhat hostile environment for development.

"One suspect area is north of Bermuda and another is a wave rolling westward in the central Atlantic," Kottlowski said.

The first system is a low pressure area that had its roots along the Carolina coast this past weekend. The system is not a threat to the U.S. or Bermuda, but it could swing northward toward Cape Race, Newfoundland, during the middle of the week.

The developing low pressure area north of Bermuda is over warm water but is experiencing what is known as wind shear.

This zone of strong straight-line, upper-level winds disrupts a cyclone's circular motion and can cause a powerful hurricane to weaken, slow the development of a tropical system or prevent its development altogether.

"Despite the shear, it is possible the system will develop into a subtropical storm during the next 48 hours," Kottlowski said.

Meanwhile, the conveyor belt of tropical waves, continues in the tropical Atlantic. Disturbances are still rolling westward across Africa then across the ocean.

The tropical waves are most active spanning the second half of July to the first half of October. This period is referred to as the Cape Verde Season, named for islands just off the west coast of Africa.

Many of the most powerful hurricanes on record in the Atlantic have originated as tropical waves from this area.

One wave in particular bears watching this week according to Kottlowski.

"Showers and thunderstorms associated with this wave already have cyclonic circular motion," Kottlowski said.

"If the center of circulation were to stay far enough south, away from shear the next few days, it has a chance of developing," Kottlowski added.

The feature, developing or not, will be arriving in the Lesser Antilles this weekend with showers and thunderstorms.

Odds are against both of these features ever becoming very powerful, due to shear issues.

The next names on the list of tropical cyclones in the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season are Ophelia and Philippe.

Don't Forget About the Eastern Pacific

While most tropical cyclones that develop move away from land in the eastern Pacific, every once in a while, one parallels the coast or turns eastward toward land.

There is some indication that a feature may develop off the coast of Central America late this week and this weekend.

A dip in the jet stream may get close enough to the feature to turn it northeastward, back toward land (Mexico) beyond next weekend.

AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center meteorologists will continue to monitor these tropical features and others across the globe.

Meteorologist Brian Edwards described the season thus far as being extremely active.

"The period from Aug. 1 through Sept. 16 saw 10 named systems," Edwards said.