Good morning. Sorry for the late start, and not putting more online yesterday, but I was busy putting together some time lapse videos for later posting. Anyway, Hurricaneville continues to monitor things in the tropics, particularly the Tropical Atlantic, which has become quite interesting this morning. Right now, we are very near the statistical peak of the season, and things had been relatively dormant the past few days until yesterday afternoon.

As mentioned previously, waves have continued to move off the African coast, and this latest one looks quite impressive. The latest Tropical Weather Outlook from the National Hurricane Center indicates that this tropical wave, associated with a broad area of low pressure, is located some 200 miles South-Southeast of the Southern Cape Verde Islands. The wave is very strong with shower and thunderstorm activity becoming better organized. Meanwhile, upper level winds look favorable for further development as this wave rapidly moves to the West at 20 miles per hour. It is very possible that this wave could become a tropical depression either later today or this evening. If it does, it will be named Fred.

Meanwhile, there are also some other areas being watched this Labor Day morning. First, the more immediate concern is a trough off low pressure just off the coast of the Carolinas. This area first drew attention yesterday, and there is better shower and thunderstorm activity with it today. However, as of now, the NHC indicates that upper level conditions aren’t favorable for development. Nevertheless, expect a strong easterly flow along the coast today, which will continue the Small Craft Advisories and moderate Rip Current risks. Coastal waters are forecasted to have Gale Force Winds on Wednesday and Thursday. Residents along the Outer Banks of North Carolina will have a gloomy Labor Day while places further north in the Mid-Atlantic should expect some high clouds to periodically move overhead.

Moving out into the Gulf, there is an area of showers and storms near the Bay of Campeche region this morning. This area looks more impressive than it did yesterday, but it is very close to land. However, keep in mind that disturbances in this area tend to be more persistent, and with sea surface temperatures very warm here, there could be development if the disturbance continues to stay offshore. Africa also continues to be very busy this morning with a cluster of showers and storms moving westward through Southwestern Mali while another more impressive cluster is hovering over the Central African Republic as well as Southern Chad.