Good morning everyone. I finally feel much more relaxed this morning after having a good night sleep for the first time in a few days. Having the Hurricane Info Center database fiasco behind me is a great feeling. In addition, getting the database up to date with storms from the 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons is tremendous. I’m hoping to get the almanac updated with storms from 2008 and 2009 as well soon.

Anyway, Hurricaneville is still monitoring things in the tropics, and it looks to be a very uneventful Labor Day Weekend. Right now, things are fairly tranquil in the Atlantic as Erika has diminished to a remnant low that is currently bringing showers and storms to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Moreover, while there are two tropical waves heading westward in the Eastern Atlantic, the odds of either one of them becoming a depression or storm is decreasing.

One of the waves was discussed in the blog last night as it was located some 175 miles to the West-Southwest of the Cape Verde Islands in the Eastern Atlantic. At the time, chances for this tropical wave, which associated with low pressure, of becoming a tropical cyclone was between 30 to 50 percent. However, over the past 12 to 15 hours, upper level conditions have begun to become less hospitable towards development. This is despite the fact that the wave continues to get better organized. Chances for formation have decreased to less than 30 percent.

In addition, there is another wave that is farther west toward the Central Atlantic. Located some 1000 miles West of the Cape Verde Islands, this disturbance is generating shower and thunderstorm activity as well. Moving towards the West at 10 miles per hour, the wave is also not expected to develop over the next 48 hours since it is already bumping into strong upper level wind shear. The National Hurricane Center also lists the chances of this wave becoming a tropical cyclone as less than 30 percent.

We are now just five days away from the statistical peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. Right on schedule is the Cape Verde and African pipeline, which is producing more clusters of showers and thunderstorms on the heels of these two waves. As you can see on the latest African satellite, there is still a thunderstorm complex heading toward the Eastern Atlantic. This area of disturbed weather is now spreading showers and thunderstorms over Southwestern Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bisseau, and Sierra Leone.

Not too far behind that to the East is another thunderstorm complex, which is spreading rains over Western Nigeria, Togo, Benin, and Ghana. Another complex is behind that one as it spreads showers and thunderstorms over Southern Chad, the Central African Republic, and Southeastern Nigeria. Finally, there is one more batch of showers and storms over Ethiopia as well. The web site will continue to closely monitor developments with these disturbances as they all continue to migrate westward.