A tropical wave heading toward the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas became less organized overnight and the US National Hurricane Center canceled an aircraft scheduled to investigate the system, the NHC said in its 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) report. ( Reuters )
Energy and commodities markets have been watching the Greater Antilles/Bahamas system and another system in the eastern Atlantic for about three days. The Greater Antilles/Bahamas system was more interesting to the market since it had more potential to reach the oil rich Gulf of Mexico sometime next week.
The NHC said environmental conditions in the Greater Antilles/Bahamas system, which is about 300 miles east of the Lesser Antilles (the Caribbean islands from the Virgin Islands south to Trinidad), are "only marginally favorable for development and the potential for tropical cyclone formation during the next day or two has decreased."
On Monday and Tuesday, the NHC had said the Greater Antilles/Bahamas system could develop into a tropical depression over the next day or so as it moves west-northwest at 10 to 15 miles per hour.
Most weather models showed the Greater Antilles/Bahamas system would steer north of the Lesser Antilles and reach the area around the northern Greater Antilles ( Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico) and the Bahamas over the next five days.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, the NHC said some development of the low pressure system about 700 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands remained possible during the next couple of days as it moves west at 10 to 15 mph.
But since most weather models showed the Cape Verde system would likely not threaten the Gulf of Mexico or any land in North America, the energy market is not very interested in this system at this time.
The models show the Cape Verde system will cross the 30th parallel north of the equator about 1,000 miles east of Bermuda and turn back east over the next five days. Once a weather system climbs north of the 30th parallel, energy traders say it will not threaten the Gulf of Mexico since most of the Gulf is south of the 30th parallel.
If either system strengthens into a tropical storm, with winds of 39 to 73 mph, the NHC will name it Fay.
Energy traders watch for storms that could enter the Gulf of Mexico and threaten US oil and gas production facilities.
Commodities traders likewise watch storms that could hit agriculture crops like citrus and cotton in Florida and other states along the Gulf Coast to Texas.