A tropical wave expected to emerge off the African coast on Aug. 31 will be monitored by the National Hurricane Center, which reports the area of disturbed weather could have a 30% chance of becoming a tropical storm within a week of its arrival in the Atlantic.

A tropical wave will soon emerge off the coast of Africa, slowly moving through the Atlantic Ocean.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a tropical wave that is about to emerge from the west coast of Africa, as of 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 31. After it moves off the coast, there is about a 30% chance the wave could formulate a cyclone across the Atlantic Ocean in the next week, the center states.

If the wave were to develop into a tropical storm, it would be the seventh tropical storm of the 2025 season. The next storm name is Gabrielle, according to the National Hurricane Center's Tropical Cyclone Names list.

Hurricane Erin has been the only one of the 2025 season so far. The storm damaged beaches along much of the Atlantic Coast in early August. Rough surf and rip currents stirred up by its high winds and large size are blamed for the deaths of two swimmers, one in New Hampshire and one off Long Island. A boater in his 50s went missing after a vessel capsized off the Massachusetts coast on Aug. 25.

The Atlantic Ocean's hurricane season typically reaches its peak on Sept. 10, but 13 of last year's named storms formed on or after Sept. 9, including Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. The Atlantic season officially began on June 1 and will last through the end of November.

Storm tracker

This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.

What is a tropical wave?

A tropical wave is an inverted trough (an elongated rea of relatively low pressure) or cyclonic curvature maximum (strong point of a curved clockwise or counter-clockwise turn of wind flow) moving east to west across the tropics, according to the National Weather Service.

How do hurricanes form?

Hurricanes are born in the tropics, above warm water. Clusters of thunderstorms can develop over the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees. If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression.

A tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm once its sustained wind speeds reach 39 mph. When its winds reach 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane.

Prepare now for hurricanes

Delaying potentially lifesaving preparations could mean waiting until it’s too late. "Get your disaster supplies while the shelves are still stocked, and get that insurance checkup early, as flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends.

  • Develop an evacuation plan. If you are at risk from hurricanes, you need an evacuation plan. Now is the time to begin planning where you would go and how you would get there.
  • Assemble disaster supplies. Whether you’re evacuating or sheltering in place, you’re going to need supplies not just to get through the storm but for a possibly lengthy aftermath, NOAA said.
  • Get an insurance checkup and document your possessions. Contact your insurance company or agent now and ask for an insurance checkup to make sure you have enough insurance to repair or even replace your home and belongings. Remember, home and renters insurance don’t cover flooding, so you’ll need a separate policy for those. Flood insurance is available through your company, agent or the National Flood Insurance Program. Act now, because flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period.
  • Create a family communication plan. NOAA says you should take the time now to write down a hurricane plan and share it with your family. Determine family meeting places and make sure to include an out-of-town location in case of evacuation.
  • Strengthen your home. Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricanes. Trim trees and install storm shutters, accordion shutters, and impact glass; seal outside wall openings.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Hurricane Center eyes tropical wave in Atlantic. See tracker

Reporting by Greta Cross, Gabe Hauari and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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