After Ida, forecasters eye Tropical Depression Ten, tropical wave off Africa

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Now that Ida made landfall, forecasters are watching three areas for potential tropical development.

The first of these is a broad area of low pressure expected to form in the southern Caribbean Sea within the next few days, Live 5 Meteorologist Joey Sovine said. The National Hurricane Center says there is only a 20 percent chance the system will become a tropical depression by Friday.

Tropical wave off Africa likely to develop this week

The second, however, is a tropical wave near the west coast of Africa. That wave is expected to move over the eastern Tropical Atlantic later on Monday and environmental conditions could help it develop once it moves off shore.

A tropical depression is expected to form by the middle or later part of this week while it moves west-northwestward over the eastern tropical Atlantic.

The National Hurricane Center estimates there is an 80 percent chance of tropical development within five days.

Tropical Depression Ten no threat to U.S.

Tropical Depression Ten, meanwhile, is not expected to be a threat to the U.S. mainland.

At 5 a.m., the center of Tropical Depression Ten was located near latitude 20.8 North, longitude 50.6 West, about 775 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 35 mph with higher gusts.

The depression is moving toward the north near 8 mph. A general northward motion is forecast to continue through Monday followed by a gradual turn toward the northwest by Wednesday.

Little change in strength is forecast during the next couple of days. Slow strengthening is forecast to begin in the latter part of this week.

The forecast track keeps the depression in the Atlantic and away from the United States.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 29.77 inches.

The next three names on this year’s hurricane list after Ida are Julian, Kate and Larry.

Ida to bring rainfall to Lowcountry

Remnants of Ida, which made landfall Sunday as the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland, will bring rain to the Lowcountry later this week.

As of Monday morning, Ida had been downgraded from a Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm. But residents of Louisiana and Mississippi began assessing the damage as power remained out for the entire city of New Orleans.

The Associated Press reported that Ida pushed so much water into the mouth of the Mississippi that it reversed the flow of the river.

Ida’s landfall came exactly 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi.

A Louisiana sheriff’s office reported the first death blamed on Ida. The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said someone was killed by a fallen tree in Prairieville, a suburb of Baton Rouge.

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