There’s a chance the tropical wave eyeing Florida will turn into the third storm of the season

It’s hurricane season so once again, a tropical wave that may or may not develop into a more severe system is being monitored by meteorologists.

There’s a 20 percent chance the tropical wave over the eastern Caribbean Sea will develop into something stronger over the next five days, according to a weather outlook from the National Hurricane Center. 

There’s a slimmer chance it will upgrade in the next two days — only 10 percent. The National Hurricane Center issued a Monday morning forecast on the latest tropical wave moving across the Caribbean Sea and Greater Antilles.

The system is expected to move in a west-northwest direction, toward Florida. While it should bring heavy rains to Caribbean islands “little or no development” of the tropical wave is expected in the next few days, according to the center.

At the same time, the weather outlook warns “conditions could be a little more conducive for tropical cyclone formation when the system reaches the the Florida Straits or the Bahamas” this weekend. 

It’s not even a tropical depression yet, but if the system gets strong enough to become a storm, it will be named “Chantal.”

Stay on top of Orlando news and views. Sign up for our weekly Headlines newsletter.

This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2019.