Low 17P Has a Good Chance for Tropical Reformation This Weekend

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is the forecast center that issues advisories for tropical cyclones in the Southern Pacific Ocean, and they noted on February 26, “Available data does not justify issuance of numbered tropical cyclone warnings at this time” That may change over the weekend, as maximum sustained winds are near tropical depression strength, 34 mph (30 knots) and environmental factors are looking more favorably for further development.

17P’s center is near 16.3 degrees South latitude and 163.6 West longitude, that’s about 425 nautical miles east-southeast of Pago Pago. The system is crawling south-southwestward at 2 mph (2 knots).

Tropical Low 17P May Get a Second Chance

image of 17P’s clouds on Feb. 25 at 1622 UTC (11:22 a.m. ET), and the storm appears to be getting re-organized

Tropical cyclone 17P may be a low pressure area right now, but environmental conditions have become more favorable to give it a likely comeback as a tropical storm. Forecasters are using satellite imagery and observing various factors to see if 17P may be reborn.

When the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite known as GOES-11 flew over 17P’s center on Feb. 25 at 1622 UTC (11:22 a.m. ET), it captured in infrared image of its clouds. The satellite image showed that the storm appears to be getting re-organized, as seen in the circular shape of its clouds.