A Tropical Depression or Storm May Develop Off the East Coast, But Significant Impacts Are Not Likely

 Linda Lam

Published: September 16, 2021

An area off the East Coast is being watched for tropical development late this week, but serious impacts are not anticipated.

A broad area of low pressure is located a couple hundred miles miles south-southeast of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and has been tagged Invest 96L by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). An invest is an area that the NHC is watching closely using advanced computer models and resources like the Hurricane Hunters for possible development.

According to the NHC, Invest 96L has a high chance of developing into a tropical depression over the next day or two as it moves northward off the East Coast in the red area shown in the map below.

Potential NHC Development

This system may brush portions of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts as it tracks offshore.

Much of the precipitation will be on the eastern side of this system, meaning that rainfall will generally be light and heavier rain will remain over water, even if it brushes parts of the East Coast.

Areas closer to the coast may see a few showers or thunderstorms Thursday night through Friday night. Winds may also increase a bit near the coast.

Higher surf and rip currents are expected along portions of the East Coast into Saturday even if there's not a storm or depression.

Be sure to heed any warnings if you are heading to the beach late this week or this weekend. Stay out of the water if rip currents are a concern.

If there are changes to the track or strength of this system it could result in more or less severe weather so be sure to check back to weather.com for updates.

There is also an area in the eastern Atlantic that is expected to develop into a tropical depression or storm over the next few days. If either of these systems becomes a tropical storm the next name on the list is Odette.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.