The circulation around the tropical disturbance designated 96L has been disrupted by the mountains on Hispaniola.  There a appears to be a broad low level center near the northern coast of Haiti.  There are several smaller vorticies rotating around within the broader area of low pressure.  The strongest winds are occurring north and east of the center and several reconnaissance flights found winds to tropical storm force north of the center.  The broad center appears to be moving toward the west-northwest at 10-15 m.p.h.   The area of low pressure has produced heavy rain on some of the islands of the northern Caribbean Sea.

It is still possible that 96L could organize into a tropical cyclone as it moves away from Hispaniola.  Once it gets away from the mountains, it will be easier for the flow to consolidate around one primary circulation center.  The Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) are very warm around the Bahamas and the upper level winds are not too strong.

There is a large amount of uncertainty about the future track of this system and that will continue until a well defined center of circulation exists.  It appears that the low has been initialized too far to the northeast in some runs of numerical models and that has produced some forecast tracks that are also too far north and east.  It is still possible that this system could head in the general direction of the southeastern U.S.

Development will possibly be slow to occur until the system becomes better organized.  Tropical cyclones can intensify rapidly over the Bahamas and people would be wise to monitor future developments with 96L.