Tropical Depression Three of 2019 approaches Florida before dissipating

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Tropical Depression Three formed over the Bahamas this weekend, before heading towards Florida. As of Monday evening, the National Hurricane Center reported the depression had sustained winds of 30 miles per hour (45 kilometers per hour), just nine shy of becoming a tropical storm. If it strengthened, it would be named Tropical Storm Chantal. On Tuesday, however, they reported the depression dissipated off the coast of Florida.

A "tropical depression" is a form of tropical cyclone. On the scale used by the NHC for classifying tropical cyclones, a "tropical depression" is the weakest form of tropical cyclone.

When it was first detected on Sunday, the depression was given only a one-in-five chance of becoming a tropical storm. By Monday afternoon, this likelihood had risen to a three-in-five chance. If named, it would have become the third named storm of the 2019 Atlantic storm season.

The National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. update on Monday had the depression 120 miles (195 km) southeast of Florida's West Palm Beach, moving northwest at 13 mph (20 km/h). It was forecast to reach Florida possibly on Wednesday. By Tuesday morning, the storm had dissipated, with an Air Force Reserve survey finding the storm no longer qualified as a "Tropical Depression" because it didn't exhibit closed circulation near ground level.


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