Tropics busy this week
Published 6:14 pm Monday, August 13, 2007
Eyes are on the tropics with the formation of Tropical Depression No. 4 and the possibility of a fifth tropical depression developing much closer to home.
Forecasters say the broad low pressure system in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico could form into a tropical depression within a day or so. The Air Force Reconnaissance Aircraft is scheduled to check this area out on Tuesday, National Weather Service Meteorologist Roger Erickson said.
“All computer models take the storm to southern Texas,” NWS Forecaster Sam Shamburger said. “As for the Golden Triangle, this will put an end to the really oppressive heat and bring an increase in moisture to the area starting Wednesday.”
The NWS does not believe the storm will develop into a hurricane, but it could produce some rain showers for coastal sections of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana on Wednesday.
“We’ll have a slight increase in winds, southeast 10 to 15 mph on Wednesday and Thursday, but overall it will be slightly cooler and breezy,” he said.
As of Monday afternoon, Tropical Depression No. 4 was in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to approach the Puerto Rico area by Saturday. After that, it’s pure guess work, Shamburger said of the five-day prediction.
While this past weekend’s temperatures were in the triple digits, they weren’t high enough to be in the record books. Temperatures in August 1962 were even hotter, Shamburger said.
According to the records kept by the NWS, Aug. 10, 1962’s high was 107. There were a total of 10 days that year with 100 plus degree temperatures.
The record high for the month of August took place on Aug. 31, 2000 with a high of 108.