Meteorologists: Tropical Depression 12 Not a Threat

Tropical Depression 12, the storm system being tracked in the east Atlantic Ocean, will not be a threat to the United States or Caribbean region according to leading meteorologists. The system is currently being tracked closer to Africa than to North America. The news is no doubt a welcome relief for Floridians, who were just hammered by Hurricane Ian last week. If another major hurricane makes Florida landfall in 2022, it’ll be the first year since 2005 that the state is battered twice. That year featured Hurricane Dennis and Wilma, and the year before boasted a trifecta: Hurricanes Charley, Ivan, and Jeanne. So far the maximum wind speeds of Tropical Depression 12 have been 35 miles per hour, well short of hurricane speeds. It was first identified on Tuesday afternoon, but so far the news has been good. “We do have a big ridge of high pressure off to the northeast (of Tropical Depression Twelve), and then we have this area of low pressure off to the northwest,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin. “That is creating the pattern for where TD-Twelve is going to roll.” By Thursday, Tropical Depression is expected to continue west, away from the Cabo Verde Islands and lose speed until it fizzles out well away from any land masses.