Costa Rica Monitors Caribbean Tropical Wave
Costa Rica's Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) is monitoring a tropical wave in the Caribbean with a 70% chance of becoming Tropical Storm Melissa, potentially bringing heavy rains and floods.
Those living along the Caribbean coast are aware of how quickly the weather can change in October. The tropical wave, labeled Onda Tropical #40, is currently located about 1,000 kilometers east of Costa Rica's shores, moving west at a slow pace of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour.
According to forecasters at the IMN and the U.S. National Hurricane Center, conditions are favorable for the wave's growth, with warm waters and low wind shear.
The wave carries showers and gusty winds that have already hit the Leeward Islands.
- Location: central Caribbean Sea, 1,000 kilometers east of Costa Rica's shores
- Chance of becoming a tropical storm: 70%
- Potential name: Tropical Storm Melissa
Author's summary: Costa Rica monitors a tropical wave with a 70% chance of becoming a storm.