Tropical Storm Invest 97L to hit parts of Caribbean this weekend

Another Tropical wave in the Atlantic is predicted to transform into a Tropical Depression at the end of this weekend. The tropical wave which now has been designated as Invest 97L is already affecting parts of the Caribbean including the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and south-eastern Atlantic and the northern Caribbean Sea with unstable rainfall and thunderstorms.

The Invest 97L is expected to reach the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico by Saturday, where it could transform into a tropical depression or a storm and it is forecasted to reach the north-eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday.

According to the sources, the development of the Invest 97L will slower down after Saturday morning as it will interact mountains and rough terrain of Cuba and Hispaniola.  The National Hurricane Centre has stated that the system has high chances of 70% that it will develop in the next seven days and a low chance of 40% that it will develop in the coming 2 days.

The progress of the storm demands constant attention and monitoring of the system over this weekend. Reportedly, if this tropical wave strengthens over its trajectory from north and eventually the northeast it will be become the fourth named storm of this season, Debby.

On the flip side, some of the models’ state that system has a possibility to slow down, while stalling and looping in the northern parts which may cause severe flooding in some parts of the state.

The members of the met department have stated that this is quite early to predict the impact of the tropical wave to the parts of the Caribbean and mentioned that it will take 48 more hours to know much more about the event.

Notably, the hurricane season in Caribbean is on its peak since the passage of category-5 hurricane Beryl which caused severe damage to parts of Caribbean countries. The Caribbean, being a small island region, is vulnerable to such natural disasters due to its low-lying sections, which experience hurricane season every year from June 1 to November 30, 2024.