National Hurricane Center watching disturbance in the Atlantic, as heat is on in Florida

The National Hurricane Center is watching an area of disorganized weather in the Atlantic moving east to west, but the chances it will develop are low and conditions aren’t favorable for the showers and thunderstorms to come together as as something stronger, forecasters say.

There was one other tropical wave in the Caribbean being tracked by forecasters on July 19.

➤Florida flips from watching tropics to trying to stay cool. Heat advisory issued

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Meanwhile back on land in Florida and beyond it’s hot weather people will be shielding themselves from this weekend.

A heat advisory has been issued from the Florida Panhandle west of Panama City down through Central Florida. Central Florida is under an major heat risk. Heat indeces are expected to climb to 110 degrees in many areas this weekend.

The next named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will be Dexter.

Historically, the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season arrives Aug. 15. The last two named storms of the season — Barry and Chantal — developed earlier than normal.

Here’s the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of 8 a.m. July 19:

A tropical wave interacting with a broad area of low pressure is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms about 900 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, forecasters said in their 8 a.m. Tropical Weather Outlook.

Environmental conditions are marginally conducive for gradual development of this system during the next few days, as it moves westward to west-northwestward around 10 mph. By the middle of next week, environmental conditions are forecast to become unfavorable for further development.

What do the colored, hatched areas on the NOAA map mean?

The hatched areas on the National Hurricane Center’s tropical outlook map indicate “areas where a tropical cyclone — which could be a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane — could develop,” said National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome.

The colors make it visibly clear how likely a system could develop, with yellow being low, orange medium, and red high.

The National Hurricane Center generally doesn’t issue tropical advisories until there is a named storm, but there is an exception.

“If a system is near land and there is potential for development, the National Hurricane Center won’t wait before it issues advisories, even if the system hasn’t become an actual storm. This gives residents time to prepare,” Rhome said.

Florida weather radar for July 19, 2025

National Weather Service Florida forecast for July 19

• Pensacola, western Panhandle: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

• Tallahassee, central Panhandle: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Heat index values as high as 107. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

• Jacksonville, North/Northeast Florida: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 4pm and 5pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 109. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

• Daytona Beach to Stuart, East/Central Florida: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 105. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

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What else is happening in the tropics?

The National Hurricane Center is tracking two tropical waves, which includes the disturbance in the Atlantic.

• Tropical disturbance: An eastern Atlantic tropical wave is along 33W, from 05N to 17N, moving westward at 11 to 17 mph.

• Tropical wave: A western Caribbean tropical wave is along 85W south of 20N, moving westward at 17 mph.

AccuWeather said there’s also a potential for tropical development off the central coast of the U.S. July 22-25.

2025 hurricane season so far

An average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.

Here’s when this year’s named storms have developed, compared to historical averages:

• Tropical Storm Andrea: formed June 24. Average start date: June 20

• Tropical Storm Barry: formed June 29. Average start date: July 17

• Tropical Storm Chantal: formed July 5. Average start date: Aug. 3.

• Next up, Dexter: Average state date: Aug. 15, with the average first hurricane forming Aug. 11.

Weather watches and warnings issued in Florida

Hurricane names for 2025 season

Here are the names for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, along with how to pronounce them:

When is the Atlantic hurricane season?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said.

The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.

When is the peak of hurricane season?

National Hurricane Center map: See what forecasters watching now

Systems currently being monitored by the National Hurricane Center include:

Why does NHC say ‘tropical cyclone’ on its maps instead of hurricane or tropical storm?

Tropical cyclone is the generic term used by the National Weather Service, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center for any tropical system, even if it’s in the tropical Atlantic basin.

To be more precise, a tropical cyclone is a “rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation,” NOAA sadi.

Once maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, what it is called is determined by where it originated:

• Hurricane: for storms in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific.

• Typhoon: for storms in the Northwest Pacific.

• Cyclone: for storms in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

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This story has been updated to include new information.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hurricane Center tracking weather disturbance in Atlantic