Hurricane season is well underway, with meteorologists currently watching four hot spots in the Atlantic basin.
The questions for New Englanders is: will any of those storms chart a path north?
It’s been three decades since Massachusetts experienced a direct Category 1 hurricane landfall, or stronger, in more than three decades, which makes the region “meterologically overdue,” according to AccuWeather.
Here’s what the odds look like for August.
Will any of the forming storms be a danger to New England?
Although there are four “zones” where storms are forming, chances are they won’t hit Massachusetts or the rest of New England, according to AccuWeather.
“The tropical development potential map in the Atlantic is lit up like a Christmas tree with four different risk zones,” AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said in a written statement this week.
He added, “We are quickly approaching the heart of the hurricane season. People need to be prepared, especially with the potential of ‘homegrown’ storms that develop near the coastline. Tropical storms and hurricanes that spin up near the U.S. coast in abnormally warm waters leave less time for people to prepare, react and evacuate compared to a storm that develops out in the open Atlantic and takes days to approach the U.S.”
The four “zones” are expected to spawn storms in the Caribbean, the southeast coast of the U.S., the Gulf Coast of the U.S. and the Lesser Antilles, though most of those storms will just involve downpours.
What’s going on with tropical storm Dexter?
Dexter started forming this week.
“Tropical Storm Dexter continues to track northeastward across the open waters of the Atlantic,” AccuWeather stated in a release. “No direct impacts to land are anticipated, but shipping and cruise routes in the Atlantic may experience rough seas through Saturday.”
The National Hurricane Center stated that Dexter will transition into a post-tropical cyclone within a couple of days.
This AccuWeather graphic illustrates the hot spots for current tropical storm development. Although New England is not expected to get a storm in the next few days, rip currents are expected to be a problem for swimmers this weekend.
Watch out for rip currents in New England
Although Dexter is not supposed to hit the Northeast region of the country, there’s still danger in New England.
“A strengthening high pressure over the Northeast, along with a budding tropical rainstorm…will pose a risk for dangerous rip currents and rough surf along the East Coast beaches through this week,” AccuWeather stated in a release.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained that “rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water… Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer.”
If you encounter a rip current, swim parallel to the shore and then back at an angle, according to NOAA.
This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: Rip currents could affect NE this weekend. Here’s what to know