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# Two tropical waves are being watched in the Atlantic. Here’s what Tampa Bay needs to know.
- URL: https://tampa-bay-disaster-preparedness-news.ghost.io/two-tropical-waves-are-being-watched-in-the-atlantic-heres-what-tampa-bay-needs-to-know/
- Published: 2026-08-09T03:12:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-09T03:12:37.000Z
- Description: There's no threat to Florida right now. But with hurricane season entering its busiest stretch, the activity is a good reminder to get prepared before a storm is headed our way.
- Author: Chris Thomas
- Tags: News

The Atlantic is starting to get busier as we move deeper into August.

The National Hurricane Center is watching **two areas of stormy weather far out in the Atlantic Ocean.** Neither is currently a threat to Tampa Bay or anywhere else in Florida.

Still, both have some potential to become better organized over the next week.

### What’s out there?

The first tropical wave is several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, near the coast of Africa.

Forecasters give it a **20% chance of developing into a tropical depression or storm during the next seven days.** Conditions may become less favorable for development as it gets closer to the Caribbean.

A second tropical wave is expected to move off Africa on Tuesday. It has a **40% chance of developing over the next seven days**, and forecasters say it could become a tropical depression later next week.

Simply put: **one system has a small chance of developing, while the other has a somewhat better chance. Neither is close to Florida.**

### Does Tampa Bay need to worry?

**Not right now.**

These systems are thousands of miles away, and it is much too early to know whether they will survive their trip across the Atlantic, become named storms or eventually come anywhere near Florida.

The colored areas on the National Hurricane Center map **do not show where a storm will go.** They show where forecasters believe a system could develop.

### Why we're watching anyway

August is when the Atlantic typically starts getting much more active.

Tropical waves regularly move west from Africa during this part of hurricane season. Many never become hurricanes. Some don't develop at all. But occasionally, one can organize and eventually threaten the Caribbean, Gulf or United States.

That gives Tampa Bay residents an important window: **prepare while the weather is quiet instead of waiting until a storm is approaching.**

Check your hurricane supplies, know your evacuation zone, make a plan for pets and medications, and think about how your household would handle several days without electricity.

**Bottom line:** There is no storm headed for Tampa Bay. But two tropical waves are now being watched, and peak hurricane season is getting closer. Stay aware, not alarmed, and use the quiet time to get ready.