A meteorologist said that the storm that formed on the west coast of Africa is currently not expected to directly affect the United States.

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New York Times

Forecasters say that Tropical Depression Rose is one of three named storms that formed in rapid succession and was downgraded from tropical storm on Tuesday as it moved westward across the Atlantic Ocean.

According to data from the National Hurricane Center, as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, Ross is located about 1,065 miles west-northwest of Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa. The storm’s maximum sustained wind speed has dropped to about 35 miles per hour and is expected to weaken further in the coming days. It is not expected to affect any land.

Ross, the 17th named storm of the busy 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, formed on Sunday, the same day that Tropical Storm Peter formed in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Caribbean Sea. Tropical Storm Odette became active near the mid-Atlantic coast on Friday and was quickly downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. Tropical Storm Sam formed on September 23.

"We are very lucky now that neither Ross nor Peter will have a direct impact on the United States," said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist at the Hurricane Center, on Monday. But he added that it is too early to say whether the expansion of the storm will reach the United States.

The Hurricane Center stated that only in 2020 and 2005, the 17th named storm pattern was earlier than this year.

For meteorologists, these are dazzling months, as the arrival of the peak hurricane season—August to November—results in the rapid operation of a series of named storms.

Hurricane Nicholas made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast on September 14 and brought heavy rain to parts of Louisiana. Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana two weeks ago and later brought fatalities to the New York area. Flood.

Tropical Storm Mindy struck the Florida Panhandle on September 8, just a few hours after it formed in the Gulf of Mexico. At the same time, the powerful Hurricane Larry was tossing in the Atlantic Ocean.

The link between hurricanes and climate change is becoming more and more obvious. Over time, a warming planet may experience stronger hurricanes, and the incidence of higher-intensity storms-although the total number of storms may decrease because stronger wind shear and other factors may prevent it A weaker storm formed.

Due to the increase in water vapor in the warm atmosphere, hurricanes have become more and more humid; scientists say that the rainfall generated by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 far exceeded the situation without human impact on the climate. In addition, rising sea levels are leading to higher storm surges-the most destructive factor in tropical cyclones.

Anna became the first storm of the season to be named on May 23, making 2021 the seventh consecutive year that a named storm formed in the Atlantic before the official start of the season that began on June 1.

In May of this year, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that there will be 13 to 20 named storms this year, of which 6 to 10 are hurricanes, including 3 to 5 major Atlantic hurricanes of category 3 or higher .

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its forecasts in early August, predicting that by the end of the Japanese season on November 30, there will be 15 to 21 named storms, including 7 to 10 hurricanes.

"We are still at the peak of the season," Mr. Feltgen said on Monday. "We still have two and a half months to have a good time. We still have a long way to go, so be prepared."

Last year, there were 30 named storms, including 6 major hurricanes, causing meteorologists to exhaust the alphabet for the second time and start using the Greek alphabet.

2020 saw the largest number of storms on record, surpassing the 28 storms in 2005.