People are stressed, the tropics are still active

Users have lots of questions about the tropics and how they look... active. Let's discuss this to calm some nerves. First, check your short-term forecast if you were recently affected by Helene.

One of the great tools you have at your fingertips, wherever you go, is our WeatherRadar. Without a well-defined center, we can't make a precise forecast because models don't grasp what could potentially be a system (or not). You can see the direction in which the moisture trends move.

Over the far eastern Atlantic, there is Joyce, which will stay over the open Atlantic and will be dissipating within the next two days. Tropical Storm Kirk, which is gaining strength, is forecast to become a major hurricane by Wednesday evening, and the good news is that it will also curve up and stay over the open Atlantic without affecting land. There is another tropical disturbance, which will likely be the next named system, and it is closer to Africa than the Americas. You can see all these systems in our WeatherRadar and see how they will move over the next four days.

The Central America gyre is in full force! This is a broad low-pressure system that usually sits over Central America in early summer and early fall. Low-pressure systems tend to form from the broad low-pressure and swing upward toward Mexico or the U.S. It is during this time of the year that we also monitor any energy left over by fronts that could spark a storm, usually closer to land, often along the Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center gives a medium chance for a low-pressure system to form in the same region that Helene formed. Remember that no two systems are alike, and even if a system forms, it doesn't necessarily mean it will take the same path. Storms are moving over the northern part of the U.S., with fronts that could change their track and even chances for development.

We will continue to monitor the tropics and bring you updates throughout the week. Please make sure you have your alerts on and allow your device to receive the push alerts sent by our team of meteorologists.