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Forecasters Eye 'Disturbance' Near Puerto Rico

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Aug 15, 2008 8:24 am US/Eastern

Forecasters Eye 'Disturbance' Near Puerto Rico

MIAMI (CBS4) ― The National Hurricane Center is checking into an area of disturbed weather near Puerto Rico which could possible be the next named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, but so far the system is nothing more than a mass of disorganized thunderstorms which bears close watching.

Hurricane hunter planes have made a number of trips into the system, which is bringing high winds and lots of rain to Puerto Rico, but forecasters say they have not found one key item needed to give the storm a name; are area of what forecasters call 'closed circulation'.

That characteristic is needed for the storm to be considered a depression, which is the first step on the road to becoming a tropical storm or hurricane.

The lack of development would normally be considered good news, but forecasters are concerned because of the location of the system and it's proximity to the Bahamas and South Florida.

Should the system intensify and grow into Tropical Storm Fay after it moves into the Caribbean, it would be just a few days from Florida or the Bahamas, leaving little time for preparation.

Given that, forecasters are urging people to keep a close eye on the system and to begin checking on their hurricane plans, just in case.

One suggestion being made by insurance officials is a last minute check of your homeowner's policy. If the system becomes a storm, it would place Florida under the 'exclusion zone' for insurance changes as early as Saturday. That means any changes in your policy must be made by the close of business Friday to be effective.

Hurricane forecasters will be sending another plane into the system later this morning to chart any further development.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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