THE FIRST tropical depression of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season formed south of Cuba yesterday and could become a tropical storm as it moves toward Florida, forecasters said.
The depression, which will be given the name Alberto once its maximum sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour (63 km per hour), was located around 45 miles (75 km) west-southwest of Cabo San Antonio on the western tip of
Cuba at 11:00 a.m. yesterday. The Meteorological Service of Jamaica said the weather system was not a threat to Jamaica at this time, but added that its outer bands would dump showers on the island on the weekend.
NOT PARTICULARLY POWERFUL
Laden with rainfall but not particularly powerful in terms of their winds, tropical storms can cause deadly floods. They become hurricanes when winds reach 74 mph (119 kph). Forecasters have predicted that 2006 will see more storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic than an average season. Forecasters, however, said it should be nothing like last year when a record 28 tropical systems including 15 hurricanes developed.
