ORLANDO, Fla., April 21 (UPI) -- Months before the start of the hurricane season, U.S. meteorologists say they are already watching a developing weather disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean.
Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center say the unusually early system just north of the Leeward Islands is causing rain and thunderstorms over a broad area and has about a 20 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Thursday.
Satellite observations are showing strong winds at its center, forecasters said.
Only one tropical storm, Ana in 2003, has ever formed as early as April
That year turned out to be a busy hurricane year, generating hurricanes Bill, Claudette, Grace, Henri and Isabel.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.
The developing system is unlikely to affect Florida, AccuWeather.com tropical weather expert Dan Kottlowski said. "A ridge of high pressure would have to get out of the way first," he said.
If it does move toward Florida, it probably would just bring rain well south of Central Florida, forecasters said.
"If this system comes into being and tracks far enough to the south and west, the rainy season could begin a few weeks early for folks in South Florida and some of the islands," AccuWeather meteorologist Mark Mancuso said.
