Two areas of showers and thunderstorms located south of Tropical Storm Ignacio’s remnants are being closely watched for development. Forecasters use infrared satellite imagery to determine cloud temperatures, and get an idea about the height and strength of thunderstorms.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite flies over the Eastern Pacific Ocean daily, and captured the two areas on August 27at 5:23 p.m. EDT. Although both didn’t have signature shapes of tropical cyclones yet, the National Hurricane Center reported on Friday, August 28 that the potential for development is at least 50%. So, over the weekend, there’s a potential for them to develop into tropical storms. If they do, they’d be named Jimena and Kevin.

Infrared imagery measures temperatures and not only can it see cold, high cloud tops in tropical cyclones, but also the warm ocean waters that fuel them. The colder the clouds are, the higher they are, and the more powerful the thunderstorms are that make up the cyclone.

The first area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms are located a couple of hundred miles south of Acapulco, Mexico, and are associated with a low pressure area. Because conditions are favorable for development, there’s a medium chance (30-50 percent) of the system becoming a tropical depression this weekend.

The second area of showers and thunderstorms are further west, about 950 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Conditions there are also favorable for development: warm waters over 80 degrees Fahrenheit and light surrounding winds. This system has the same chance to develop over the weekend.