MIAMI – There are weather systems to watch in the Atlantic, but no significant threats at this time.
Invest No. 98L -- numbered by the National Hurricane Center because it is "investigating" the weather system-- will most likely be first to affect the U.S. The low-pressure system came from a combination of the remnants of Hurricane Florence and a cold front. The system may organize into a tropical depression as it loops toward North Carolina. Mostly it will bring moisture to the eastern part of that state on Tuesday. It's the same area that is still dealing with Florence's flooding.
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Tropical Storm Kirk is unusual because it formed farther south than normal in the Atlantic Ocean off Africa. That will keep it away from the hostile atmospheric conditions to its north for a while. In about five days it will be near the eastern Caribbean islands, and will have lifted a bit to the north. At that time, the upper-level winds are expected to be hostile, and the storm is forecast to weaken. Kirk is expected to be near the islands about Friday.
Currently, the long-range forecasts do not show Kirk getting out of the Caribbean Sea, but we will have to keep an eye on it at the end of the week to be sure the atmospheric conditions evolve as expected.
Tropical Depression No. 11 is a tiny system east of the Caribbean islands. It is expected to dissipate soon due to the same strong upper-level winds mentioned above.
Invest No. 90L is a large nontropical low-pressure system, which is spinning and sitting in the middle of the Atlantic. As it sits there for the next week or two, it is likely to eventually become tropical enough to be named. It is never expected to threaten the U.S.
The next name on the list is Leslie.
There is another non-tropical low-pressure system north of Invest No. 90L, which again is of no consequence.