New Disturbance Gradually Organizing Near Cape Verde Islands

There is one less problem in the Tropical Atlantic on this Friday evening. Only Isaac and a gradually organizing disturbance in the Eastern Atlantic remain after what was Tropical Storm Joyce on Thursday, dissipated on Friday morning. The storm, which weakened to a depression during the day on Thursday, became a remnant low over 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands as of the final advisory at 11:00 AM EDT on Friday.

Joyce’s short life was full of struggle with plenty of wind shear and dry air that made life miserable for the Atlantic season’s tenth named storm. The storm only had winds of 35 miles per hour and the minimum central pressure had risen to 1009 millibars, or 29.80 inches of Hg. No strengthening was expected as further degeneration into a trough. According to the last forecast discussion on the system by the NHC, two problems led to the declassification of Joyce: 1.) Shower and thunderstorm activity had become disorganized, and 2.) There was no longer a closed circulation.

Data indicated that Joyce was encountering wind shear has high as 25 miles per hour from the south-southwest. The remnants of Joyce aren’t expected to reform as a depression or storm throughout the NHC forecast period, and it could fall apart altogether. Joyce peaked as only minimal tropical storm with winds of 40 miles per hour. It lasted as a tropical cyclone for only two days with only 12 of those 48 hours as a tropical storm.

Meanwhile, there is another area of disturbed weather in the Atlantic drawing attention. A broad area of low pressure located south of the Cape Verde Islands. The low is estimated to be 1008 millibars, and has widely scattered convection associated with it. Upper level winds are somewhat favorable for development. The NHC gives this disturbance a 30 percent chance of tropical formation over the next 48 hours.